An announcement that the Peak District will be adding Pay and Display machines to 13 more of its car parks has sparked a debate amongst walkers.
The payment machines went live this week, set up by The Peak District National Park Authority.
One Facebook user, Donna Chetwyn, said:”No where to park for free now anywhere near Dovedale.
“As a local it was great to be able to walk off peak without crowds and take advantage of free parking in the area and the roads around here will now be chaos in peak season as people park on the roads instead.
31 of the Authority’s 44 parking sites will now require payment, with 14 remaining free of charge.
The maximum charge for a car at the moment at all our pay and display car parks is £4.75 (for all day).
The Authority received over 200 comments when they posted about the new charges on Facebook.
Another user, Jamie Davies, summed up his thoughts with one word: “Greed.”
Regular visitors can also apply for a £40 annual permit making a weekly day visit less than 80p per stay across a year.
Fees at the new sites will remain at 2023 rates already in place at other Authority car parks.
However, a spokesperson for the Greyhound Inn in Warslow said on Facebook: “What a lot of people don’t understand is the Peak District National Park is a charity.
“Road sides have been churned up, if parking is free, who covers the repairs?
“Larger amounts of foot fall and traffic mean higher maintenance costs for the paths, bridles and repairs.”
The pub has also welcomed any Peaks visitors to use their car park for free.
The introduction of fees at the locations follows an earlier consultation on car parking charging undertaken in 2022.
The Authority claims to have deliberately chosen to avoid installing new systems until after regional recent half-term breaks.
A spokesperson for the Peak District National Park Authority said: “We recognise everyone is still facing an ongoing cost of living challenge and every pound and penny in the pocket is valuable to those visiting the Peak District.
“Unfortunately, our own costs for maintaining car parks and providing free facilities at many of these locations such as public toilets and 35 miles of our all-user accessible trails are also bearing significant cost increases.
“This should also be seen in the context of a ‘real terms’ cut to our overall Authority budget of some 40% over the last decade, meaning we have much less resources to manage the same level of operations.”
Blue badge holders may continue to park in all locations with designated bays for free.
The Authority car park locations affected by the changes include: Minninglow, Thorpe Station, Narlows Lane, Hooks Carr, Upper Burbage, Dennis Knoll, Alstonefield, Blore Pastures, Milldale, Friden and Derwent Outlook.