Thousands of cars have deserted Elgin’s town centre car parks every week since charges were increased this year, the Press and Journal can reveal.
Moray Council faced opposition from business leaders when it doubled the price of some sites and removed the cheaper 50p rate for 30 minutes at other locations.
However, the increased charges were pushed through in the hope it would bank an extra £414,000 to plug gaping budget gaps.
Now the Press and Journal can reveal the revamped charges have led to an exodus from the car parks in Elgin town centre since they were introduced midway through January.
Figures obtained from Moray Council through a freedom of information request show an incredible 66,624 fewer cars paid and displayed in the first nine months of this year, when compared to the same period in 2023.
Business leaders have called for action to ensure the trend does not continue due to worries about an impact on High Street footfall.
Meanwhile, questions are being asked about where the missing cars have gone amidst concerns about them swamping surrounding streets.
Fast facts: Elgin car park users plummet
The Press and Journal has analysed the figures published by Moray Council, which show the number of tickets bought monthly in each car park.
- August had the biggest drop-off from 2023 with 16,308 fewer cars in the car parks.
- July was the month with the smallest decrease with 2,291 fewer cars in the car parks.
- The Batchen Lane multi-storey, where prices doubled from £1 to £2 for the day, has had usage drop by 38.1%.
- Lossie Green, where prices also increased by the same amount, has had usage drop by 34.7%.
- Usage across all Moray Council’s car parks in Elgin has reduced by 20.5% in total.
- The St Giles Centre multi-storey is the only town centre car park more popular than last year with usage increasing by 3.7%.
- The number of drivers using the railway station car park has increased by 6.7%. The railway station is the only car park where charges were not increased.
Worries car parks hit is affecting Elgin High Street footfall
Moray Chamber of Commerce has already heard reports from Elgin town centre businesses that the car parks decline is affecting footfall.
Chief executive Sarah Medcraf explained a mix of reasons, including people choosing to walk or work from home, could be contributing to the drop-off.
She added: ““I am acutely aware that businesses are feeling the drop in footfall which is confirmed by this data.
“Many businesses have expressed their concern in the reduction in footfall and those who are still visiting the town, are spending less.
“We need to work together to ensure that this trend does not continue.
“We need to be reminding people of the amazing shops and facilities we have in our town centres and offer a range of events to attract people to our town centre all year round.”
‘Permits should be introduced for Elgin town centre streets’
Elgin City South councillor John Divers told the Press and Journal the exodus from the car parks risks swamping residential streets.
Mr Divers, who is also a director of Elgin Bid, said permit systems had been suggested to prioritise locals in previous years but been ruled out due to the costs involved.
He added: “What these figures tell me is that we, as a council, are more interested in making money than sorting the street parking issues in Elgin.
“It’s been going on for years, and this is just going to be making it worse.
“I’ve had residents asking me for a permit system, like in other cities, but I was told they can’t do it for just one or two residents it has to be the whole street and then there are costs involved.
“It’s free parking at the Edgar Road retail parks and the traffic flow is increasing there all the time.”
Moray Council hopes Elgin drivers will return to car parks
Figures obtained by the Press and Journal’s freedom of information request were raised in the chambers this week.
Mr Divers told senior officials the decline in Elgin car park usage since the charges were increased risked “exacerbating” parking issues on residential streets near the town centre.
Nicola Moss, the council’s head of environmental and commercial services, replied: “When we put the charges up our ability to accurately forecast in financial terms is challenging.
“When we do make changes to charging we do see some changes in behaviour, but we also see that bounce back over time.
“We have seen that each time we’ve altered the charges for car parking.
“We will keep monitoring the impact on the ticket sales but there is also the wider financial aspect on what leave the council has available to it in terms of income generation.”
Read more about Elgin parking
- Revealed: The Elgin car park where you’re most likely to get a fine
- Why St Giles Centre car park in Elgin has been partially closed for nearly three years
- How many Elgin drivers were caught during first week of illegal parking crackdown
Conversation