Low parking fees in Northern Ireland ‘laughable’, say campaigners

Councils have managed off-street car parks since April 2015, while Stormont’s Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is responsible for on-street parking.

Four of the 11 local authorities told BBC News NI they have not changed their parking fees during that period.

The four are Ards and North Down council, Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon council, Belfast City Council and Lisburn and Castlereagh council.

Other councils outlined some modest changes to some fees, with most having a mix of free and fee-paying car parks.

The cheapest fee-paying car parks, charging 20p for an hour, can be found in Belfast and Antrim and Newtownabbey councils.

In comparison, the public transport operator Translink said that since 2015 the cumulative rise in its fares has been almost 22%.

A cash day ticket on the Metro or Glider bus services now costs £5.

Off-street parking fees, controlled by DfI, have in some places doubled.

In the Belfast controlled parking zone, fees were 80p per hour in 2015 and are now £1.60.