THE UK’s most challenging cities for parking have been unveiled, based on insights from a survey of over 2,000 residents.
Compiled by the UK Parking Index, the study looked at parking conditions in 17 major cities, highlighting the best and worst places for motorists across the country.
The findings, based on factors like cost, availability, stress and convenience, found that Norwich ranked as the worst for parking access.
The Norfolk-based city, which is popular with tourists thanks to its Norman Cathedral and historic Castle, was handed a frustration index score of 94 out of 100, driven by steep costs, limited spaces and an overall stressful parking experience.
Drivers in Southampton had similar complaints regarding cost, availability and stress with a score of 88.36.
London, despite being the nation’s capital, ranked third with a frustration score of 83.79 as motorists cited expensive parking and limited availability.
At the other end of the scale, the best city in regards to parking is Liverpool, which topped the rankings for ease, safety and value for money with the lowest frustration score of 37.79.
Nottingham (47.74) and Edinburgh (52.14) followed closely, along with Sheffield and Plymouth, which performed well above the national average frustration score of 68.95.
A city’s parking conditions play a heavy role in influencing motorists’ willingness to visit, with high costs and stressful experiences often deterring people from making the trip.
On the other hand, cities like Liverpool show how effective parking provisions can make visits more welcoming.
Larne O’Donoghue of YourParkingSpace added: “Parking can make or break a trip into town. Our new UK Parking Index shows just how big the gap is between the easiest and most frustrating cities to park in.
“High costs, limited availability, and stressful conditions can put drivers off visiting city centres altogether – but the good news is that many of the issues can be avoided by pre-booking a space, ensuring it’s guaranteed, good value, and close to your destination.”
Elsewhere, new data from experts at Claims shows that Leeds tops a list of Britain’s collision accident hotspots – with over 1,000 collisions taking place.
Along with Leeds, which has multiple motorway links such as the M1, M62 and A1(M), other high-risk category cities include Birmingham and Bradford.
The study also shows that cities such as Doncaster and parts of London have also been highlighted as danger zones in previous reports.
Significant regional differences in road collision trends across the UK have also been highlighted.
The findings in general have suggested that Yorkshire and the Humber is experiencing sharp increases in collisions.
Indeed, Leeds, Wakefield, Bradford and Kirklees stand out as particularly problematic.
