I WOULD like to thank M A Clark of Tavistock for detailing the parking spaces available in Tavistock when he toured the towns car parks on a recent Friday morning.

Using the information published on the West Devon Borough Council (WDBC) website detailing the number of spaces available in various car parks, it would seem that on a cold Friday in January the car park occupation rates were as follows:

 Abbey Car Park:  58 bays; car park full - 100% occupancy.

Bedford Car Park:  229 bays; 41 spaces - 82% occupancy.

Brook Street Multi-storey: 104 bays; 61 spaces – 42% occupancy.

Riverside Car Park: 85 bays; 55 spaces – 35% occupancy.

The Wharf Car Park: 57 bays; 30 spaces – 48% occupancy.

Russell Street Car Park: 28 bays; one space – 97% occupancy.

Not much room for the tourists/visitors then is there?

It is noticeable that the Wharf Car Park, so close to the Bedford Car Park has only a 48% occupancy, compared with the Bedford’s 82% occupancy — surely a reflection of the £2 all day policy. The Riverside Car Park is so poorly signed it is no surprise that it is underused.

Mr Clark may know his way around Tavistock to find an off street car park but a visitor arriving from the north of Tavistock via the A386 will only see signs off Dolvin Road for a short stay car park, or Abbey Car Park off Whitchurch Road or town centre parking.

On leaving a full Abbey Car Park, the visitor trys to find the signed long stay car park but the direction sign for the  Riverside Car Park has been turned around, so the hapless visitor drives along Whitchurch Road with no reward of a car parking space.

Visitors arriving from Plymouth are directed along the Plymouth Road to the Bedford Car Park to take pot luck in getting a space.

 This £2 all day parking fee is proof of the Law of Unintended Consequences — let us hope that WDBC will revert to the status quo at the end of the trial period.

I have copied in WDBC to this email.

 

Jill White

Whitchurch