A commuter says an increase in car parking charges at a Wokingham borough railway station is ‘ridiculous’.
Kerry Ann Rostron-Barrett uses Earley station, off Wokingham Road, to commute into. She usually buys a six-month ticket to park close to the platforms.
It used to cost £303 but is now £175 more – an increase of 57%.
Voicing her frustration on social media, she wrote: “My parking permit for Earley station car park is due for renewal. It’s gone from £303 for six months to £478. Does anyone else think that’s a ridiculous increase?”
One person said the £478 cost works out at £2.65 per day, cheaper than the day rate of £7.
The Station Road car park is one of those where ticket prices have gone up for off-street car parks following a decision by Wokingham Borough Council’s executive committee in March and implemented in July.
The increases are more modest than those first proposed. It was originally proposed that season tickets would cost £550 for six months and £1,100 for a year. It is now £950 a year for off-street car parks outside of Wokingham town.
Cllr Paul Fishwick, executive member for active travel, transport and highways at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “In our current financial position, we have had to make tough choices, and raising car park charges is one of them.
“We are not immune to the cost-of-living crisis, and, like residents, are having to make difficult choices to make sure we can keep providing our most essential services.”
At the meeting when the increase was agreed, Cllr Fishwick said the previous Conservative administration had curbed potential revenue by not making incremental charge increases.
“We are now picking up the consequences of their lack of action. Small increases in the past would have lessened the impact now,” he explained. “However, we are facing our worst financial pressures in decades, and we must find a way of continuing to maintain our highways to come to standard, including the filling of potholes.”
