Station car paking charges in Liskeard

The local paper grabbed my attention this week. The headline “Station parking fees are slashed by half” misses the point entirely. 12 months ago there were no parking fees at Liskeard station at all. They were imposed last year by First Great Western. This broke a gentleman’s agreement between the council and the rail operator, where the council re-surfaced the carpark at rate payer’s expense in return for an assurance that parking fees would not be introduced.

Now people who refuse to pay these fees by parking on the street are being depicted as anti-social. The council are threatening to paint double yellow lines around the station to “ensure that people park responsibly”.

Liskeard rail commuters are trying to do their bit for the environment by using public transport. They do not wish to antagonise people who live around Liskeard station because they travel with them on the train. It is not in their interests to park irresponsibly. But it seems entirely in the interests of First Great Western’s shareholders if the rail operator acts out of sheer greed.

I may park on the street but I do so considerately and don't block anyone in. I once had a polite note on my windscreen saying it would be appreciated if I could move up a bit to allow loading and unloading during the day so since then I have. This is something that commuters and local residents can work out for themselves. I know many people who live near the station and they all disapprove of First Great Western's actions.

You can see what’s going to happen next. The council will paint its yellow lines – at rate payers expense – and commuters who live around Liskeard will be unable to park on the street. These local rate payers who have already paid for the car park to be resurfaced will then be expected to park in the station car park, at which point First Great Western will put the parking charges up again, because businesses follow the rule of supply and demand.

First Great Western’s publicity campaign is a classic case of divide and conquer. It seeks to split our community when it’s really using us to increase its revenue.