A one-hour free parking policy in Knaresborough town centre is to end in the week non-essential shops reopen.
North Yorkshire County Council doubled the length of time cars can park for free on Market Place from 30 minutes to an hour last summer.
The temporary move aimed to help businesses while social distancing measures were in place.
But the move will end on April 18 – six days after shops.
Council officials said parking data showed the majority of motorists left within the hour and that reverting back to 30 minutes would encourage a greater turnover of shoppers.
Karl Battersby, the county council’s corporate director of business and environmental services, said:
“While we accept that the current circumstances are not reflective of typical conditions, analysis of the performance of the one-hour free parking offers no basis for it to be introduced permanently.
“The anticipated easing of lockdown restrictions in the coming months supports a return to the normal operation to aid traffic management and to provide better turnover of spaces.”
The one-hour extension was agreed in July and then became operational in September.
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Councillor Ed Darling, who sits on both Knaresborough Town Council and Harrogate Borough Council, said while the return to 30 minutes may be “disappointing” for some, it was backed by data.
He urged shoppers to get behind the town by supporting local businesses when they reopen on April 12.
He said:
“The past year has been exceptionally difficult for town centre retailers who have been forced to close for the majority of the year.
“I do hope that our local community gets behind our town centre, supporting our local businesses and shops to kickstart our local economy once again.”
Bill Taylor, secretary of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce, added:
Ripon road closure to last six weeks“All town centres struggle with parking generally, and how to charge is a part of that.
“As shops reopen in April then moving back to the original charging system seems reasonable and allows for a higher turnover of shoppers for the greater variety of shops that are open.
“In addition, Knaresborough has a large, good value but under-utilised car park on York Place and Knaresborough Town Council has worked with the county council to install new signs around town for that car park.”
A six-week road closure affecting the circulation of traffic around Ripon city centre is now in place after being delayed over Christmas.
Workers are back on site just a month after an initial closure of the junction of Market Place East with Kirkgate, lasting two weeks.
Sewer repairs being carried out by contractors on behalf of Yorkshire Water were suspended in early December to minimise disruption to Christmas trade in the city.
The suspension also followed complaints from members of the public on social media, saying that a temporary building site with fencing and cabins on it had blocked the view of the Christmas tree in front of Ripon Town Hall.
The unfamiliar sight of a 36 bus heading in this direction out of Ripon Bus Station on its diverted route to Harrogate.
Complainants also said at the time that the placement of temporary buildings on Market Square detracted from the look of the city’s festive lights, which had been extended at an additional cost of £65,000.
The new six-week road closure is required so that urgent sewer repair and renewal works can be carried out.
With the road closure preventing traffic from turning right from Market Place East onto Market Place South, the circulatory route around Market Square is affected and a number of diversions are in place.
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Among traffic movements impacted by the closure is Transdev’s regular double decker 36 bus service to Harrogate.
To ensure that all bus stops in Ripon are served, drivers are using a circuitous route that takes in Allhallowgate, Stonebridgegate, Rotary Way and the Ripon bypass, with a right turn at the Wolseley building roundabout seeing the bus head back towards the city centre before the onward journey to Harrogate.
As Market Place West is not affected by road closures, the route into Ripon Bus Station up High Skellgate and along by the Obelisk currently remains unchanged.