Four days a year spent looking for a parking space

New research from the British Parking Association (BPA) has shown that the average motorist in the UK spends nearly four days every year looking for parking spaces.

With figures highlighting that it takes an average of eight minutes to find somewhere to park in London compared to five minutes of searching in the East of England and East Midlands, 39 per cent of motorists say finding somewhere to park is a stressful experience, with only 20 per cent saying it is stress free.

Additionally, just 17 per cent of motorists across the UK have used a parking app to help them find a place to park. Furthermore, when looking for somewhere to park, location (67 per cent), ease of access (51 per cent) and bright lighting (44 per cent) were most important for motorists with clear facilities (10 per cent) and a parking attendant (10 per cent) the least important.

Patrick Troy, chief executive of the BPA, said: “Ease of access and convenience, as well as safety and lighting, are key issues for motorists when looking to park.

“The BPA is committed to assisting motorists in having the best possible parking experience by building public confidence in using newer technologies which can make finding and paying for parking so much easier and more convenient. The government could help by devolving powers to local authorities to enable them to reduce congestion and improve air quality still further.

“Effective parking and traffic management is also essential in supporting the sustainable growth of our town centres and high streets. Drivers, of course, also have a responsibility to ensure they are parking so as not to cause inconvenience to others.”