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Isle Of Wight Council Parking Charges To Resume From Today (Monday)

From today (Monday), people on the Isle of Wight will have to start paying to park in council car parks again - and on street.

Since the end of March, on-street parking and car parks operated by the Isle of Wight Council have been free to help make life easier for residents at this difficult time.

However, with shops slowly starting to reopen and more people returning to work following the easing of lockdown rules, the council has taken the decision to start charging again.

Key Workers will be exempt from paying - but must show some proof of their job in the windscreen.

Councillor Ian Ward, Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure, said:

"We felt it important to offer free parking during the stay-home lockdown to support essential journeys by carers and NHS staff.

"Residents have done the right thing by staying home to save lives but we feel now is the right time to start reintroducing parking charges as we edge towards a degree of normality.

"The reintroduction of parking charges and enforcement has a part to play in controlling the numbers of people visiting our town centres, keeping traffic moving and supporting a higher turnover of spaces." 

The council said a number of important factors were considered in making this decision. These included:

  •  Current work to encourage and enable people to safely and confidently visit our town centres
  • The need to manage parking behaviour
  • The need to return to charging for car parks in a manner that supports and contributes to the Island's economy
  • The need to support steps to reduce carbon emissions in line with the council's Climate Emergency declaration

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