Wimbledon Car Park Charge Rises Will "Discourage Visitors"


Love Wimbledon queries plans to increase parking fees by up to 210%

Plans to raise parking charges in Wimbledon by up to 210% have been queried by the Love Wimbledon BID.

Merton council says proposals to revise parking prices across the borough has been made to help it reduce air pollution and improve public health by supporting people to make fewer journeys by car.

It wants to increase Wimbledon town centre street parking prices to £4.50 an hour from the current £1.20-£2.40 an hour. This could mean a rise of 210% in some parts of the town.

Wimbledon parking signsThe town centre car parks will increase to either £1.50 or £2 an hour, with a 100% increase at The Broadway car park to £2 per house. Season tickets will also be increased by 25% and business permits will be reviewed later this year.

In Wimbledon Village, Wimbledon Park, South Wimbledon, Raynes Park and Colliers Wood, it is set to cost £3 an hour.

But Love Wimbledon has pointed out that the £4.50 street parking fees for Wimbledon town centre would be higher than Richmond, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Hammersmith.


Merton Council’s Cabinet says the revised parking charges will level out historic discrepancies and be set according to access to public transport – drivers will pay more to park in areas where there are good public transport links than in places which are not so well connected.

Love Wimbledon said: "We fully support the efforts to improve the air quality in Wimbledon, however we believe there are many other contributory factors that are far more significant and at a time of national decline in retail we question whether this is the right time to discourage visitors to the town.

Merton electric car charging point"Over 60% of the traffic in Wimbledon is through traffic and the biggest polluters are the 10 bus routes that serve the town.  Transport for London have had significant success in Putney High Street, a 90% reduction in NOx emissions, by introducing a Low Emission Bus Zone."

Cabinet member Martin Whelton is pictured (left) at one of the borough's electric car parking points.

The council has said it it intended that the new parking charges will come into force no earlier than April.


January 17, 2019