Get your penny's worth on parking - 19/04/11

When a poll set out to find the UK’s car-friendliest town*, it was no surprise to some that the city famed for its spaghetti junction would not top the list. In fact, Birmingham ranked 51^st out of 65 cities and recent figures suggest that city centre residents and workers are often paying out as much as £20 a day for parking, with the average daily rate being around £10.

Such results have encouraged businesses in the city centre to address what they could do to make the city more car-friendly, and Neil Edginton, Director at The Cube which launched the UK’s largest automated car park last year, is just one member of Birmingham’s business community who has stressed the importance of providing cheaper, safer, and more accessible parking.

"Birmingham city centre has really flourished in the last few years, with new developments and businesses drawing in more people. Whilst it’s great to see the city buzzing, businesses need to make sure the necessary facilities are available at a reasonable price to encourage people to not only work in Birmingham, but to also make city centre living more affordable.

"Safe and accessible parking is a primary concern and at the moment there is a disparity between demand and availability of 24-hour parking," says Neil.

Generating much interest when it launched in 2010, The Cube’s car park boasts the UK’s first stacking system. Providing users with 24-hour facilities, the car park is also one of the safest and eco-friendly car parks in the city, from just £4 a day with a short term offer.

Neil adds: "We're delighted to have such an innovative car park here at The Cube and our season passes are available to anyone in the city, even if they don’t live or work at The Cube. Knowing they have a safe and secure parking space waiting for them gives drivers one less thing to worry about and we’d encourage other city businesses to provide similar facilities."

Long and short term licences are now available to anyone interested in using The Cube car park. For further information visit www.thecube.co.uk. For any business users who'd like to take advantage of a free trial of The Cube's car park, please call 0121 654 9400.

* According to Virgin Money Car Insurance survey - http://tiny.cc/grvq1