Levy would affect roughly 9,000 employees.
Commuters could face a £20 weekly charge to park at their Bristol city centre workplaces as the city council bids to cut congestion and air pollution.
The authority says a workplace parking levy could affect some 9,000 employees who can park at their jobs for free. It would charge every business presently free staff parking, with companies likely to pass that cost on to employees. Exceptions would be possible for disabled people who rely on private cars, hospital workers and other groups.
The council says the levy would raise to £10 million annually to improve public transport. Councillors on the transport policy committee are set to approve the start of the work on the levy this Thursday, and the scheme is likely to take some three years to introduce.
A committee report said: “The parking places may have been free of charge to the employees for some time previously. The aim is also to encourage employers to manage the number of free workplace parking places that they provide while promoting the use of sustainable transport.
“The introduction of a levy has other benefits associated with the reduction in car use and increase in alternative modes such as walking, cycling and public transport, such as improvements to health and the environment. Essentially, workplaces with parking places would face an annual charge per parking place, and the employer would decide whether to pass that compulsory charge onto the employee.”
A workplace parking levy was included in the Green Party’s manifesto for May’s local elections. A similar charge launched in Nottingham in 2012 has raised £83m for public transport upgrades, including the city’s tram network.
The report says multi-storey car parks owned by the council have annual season tickets costing between £54 and £72 a week. The cost of a yearly First Bus Bristol Zone pass is £841, or £16 per week.