Plymouth Conservative leader Councillor Chris Wood has launched a petition calling on Plymouth City Council to reverse its decision to introduce long stay parking charges at George Junction Park and Ride.
The move follows a council consultation in which 98% of respondents opposed the proposals. Under the approved scheme, motorists parking for five hours or longer will be charged up to £3.50 a day. Blue badge holders are entitled to an additional hour’s free parking.
Councillor Wood said a commuter paying the daily charge five days a week for 40 weeks of the year could face an additional cost of around £700.
He said: “That is an outrageous burden to place on working people, particularly when the car park itself has already been paid for by taxpayers.”
He warned the charges could push more drivers onto surrounding residential streets, increasing congestion and obstructive parking while reducing the number of spaces available to residents. He said the council could then be forced to consider residents’ parking schemes or additional double yellow lines to address problems created by the new policy.
He also questioned what had happened to an earlier proposal to add another level to the car park, which he said could have created between 300 and 600 additional spaces.
Councillor John Stephens, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, said when the proposals were first announced in October 2025 that the George site is frequently full or nearly full, and that many of the people parking there are not catching the bus, meaning people who do want to park and ride are often unable to find a space.
Councillor Wood said: “A consultation in which 98% of respondents opposed the proposals cannot simply be treated as an inconvenience to be ignored.”
Photographs © Wayne Perry / Plymouth Post