worthy of another - Chortle Chortle Chortle 
Very few areas are paid areasā¦I cannot think in 10 years I have been in an area that is a paid for oneā¦
Crazy greedy land ownersā¦I say I say
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We pay to park on the streets we pay for with our taxes. Now we pay to pay for the machines that tell us we have to pay for the parking that we paid for with our taxes. As it happens, the last free downtown parking was phased out just this week.
Worse, if you want to go to any beach, it costs $15. We paved paradise and now have to pay to park there too.
Time to dump some teaā¦make that coffeeā¦ratherā¦ Starbucks. I am currently working on a declaration and will keep you posted.
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Iāve said it before, paying to park your car is unAustralian.
If I go to Sydney I always take the train even though it travels at walking pace and takes longer than it did in the days of steam but at least it clean and comfy.
The biggest culture shock when I visited Britain was that there was no free parking virtually anywhere except in the suburbs, even worse it was so outrageously expensive. I avoid the parking meters in Wollongong by never going there but even they are only $2 for 4 hours
At least the shopping malls are always free
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Free parking in my town
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Few restrictions here, apart from yellow lines where needed. The car park in town is reasonable, IMO. 30 minutes free, which I often use if dropping off library books. Then Ā£1.50 for 2 hours. Never gone beyond that. Often though I leave the car at home and get a free bus ride.
Where I lived in London up to 5 years ago, it is mostly all CPZ (controlled parking zone), with each road/area getting their own two letter code. Residents have to buy vouchers to display in the car, or use an app. But just read a post of someone expecting visitors, and they cannot find a parking solution for them!! So glad I left.
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In Eastleigh where I live, itās Ā£1. 60 an hour, Ā£2.80 for two. Sunday is free. The traffic wardens are red hot around the town, so you have to beware. Iām lucky, I live within walking distance of the town. If I do use my car, itās usually to the retail parks.Going into Southampton is a nightmare for parking, so I always take the bus with my free pass.
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If Iām on my own I have to pay and some places are quite expensive. A friend said he paid over Ā£5.00 for a few hours parking at the local hospital.
We never drive to the hospital. There are free spaces but the traffic congestion can be bad. I have been going on my bike for check-up appointments/scans in the past. I should be OK to start doing that again.
When Mrs mart is with me, there are often (but not always) free Blue Badge parking spaces but parking in towns is always a pain whether itās free or not. We use public transport whenever possible.
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In the last 5 years I lived in London I never took my car into the centre. The combination of congestion zone fees, parking costs, queues of traffic everywhere and the madness on Sunday of not being able to find a space (except hugely expensive multi-storey parking). So I used the monthly travel card that I needed for work - so travel in at the weekend was essentially free on public transport. I did not understand people who ignored a really good public transport network and still drove in.
But now Iām out in the country, pretty much no parking costs unless I go to the ābig townā.
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Only in the city centre and hospitals,they really take the P.
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@Bretrick Being that I live in a south coastal resort town, the parking charges seem extortionate to me, but for just Ā£2 there is a residents parking permit for parking all year round everywhere except right on the sea front. The Ā£2 is to cover the paperwork and the actual permit display card for the windscreen.
Free parking around here. The only places I know of, that charge for parking, are the parking buildings but my truck is to tall to fit in them.
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Yes parking is expensive in most of my surrounding areas, so unless I can park free in a side road I go on the bus.
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Wow, that is really a good price. All year for 2 pounds.
Ā£6/hour here in Hammersmith or Ā£119/year
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I was looking at staying in a premier inn in Norwich and the going rate for parking is a minimum of Ā£12 a night, makes it an expensive hotel stay.
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Total free parking in my town. We got rid of parking meters decades ago. Also, free parking in parking lots scattered throughout the town.
As it should beā¦Businesses know they will get your money when shopping, they donāt need to charge rates to park a vehicle.
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Ther are some restrictions and the maximum parking time is 3hrs, but that is more than sufficient to nip along and do what has to be done. Also, that particular car canāt revisit the same car park within 2hrs of driving away unless a ticket is purchased. If I am going to be parked longer than 3hrs, I take my wife along and then display her Blue Badge which allows unrestricted parking time, which we do when on a theatre outing.
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Can you not take the train? There is a PI right across the road from the station.
Yes I could but the cost of train fare isnāt cheap either.
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