Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox Nottingham City Council is hiking the cost of on-street parking to try and stop people 'cruising' for a space. The Labour-run authority has confirmed that some tariffs will go up by as much as £7 from August. The council says charges for its 1,400 on-street parking spaces were last reviewed in April 2024 and that a change is needed, partially to address the "climate crisis". The authority says: "The economic vibrancy post COVID-19 in Nottingham has created high demand for available parking and new behaviours are emerging in 2024, leading to further congestion and queues for spaces. "Research suggests that vehicles 'cruising' for on-street parking spaces due to high demand creates environmental and economic issues through increased congestion, noise and air pollution, time delays on individual journeys and road safety hazards. Studies have found that up to 74% of traffic on city centre streets is from people 'cruising' for a parking space. "The management of on-street parking to reduce 'cruising' for spaces is a key factor in addressing the climate crisis and improving the experiences of Nottingham's residents and visitors." Nottingham City Council recently insisted that it still wants to become the UK's first carbon neutral city by 2028, despite a recent report suggesting the target will be heavily watered down. The council has said that reducing the number of cars in the city will play a crucial role in meeting its climate ambitions and the authority says the latest price hikes will "encourage other forms of transport". The city council has three parking zones where the on-street tariff is the same on any street, whilst zones four and five feature 14 locations with differing tariffs. In zone one, the cost of parking for one hour will rise from £2.80 to £3, with the charge for two hours rising from £5.60 to £6. In zone two, the one-hour fee will go up from £1.50 to £2 and from £3 to £4 for two hours. The cost of parking for an hour in zone three will go from 80p to £1, with the cost for two hours going from £1.60 to £2. The highest increases are seen when it comes to longer-stay parking. In zone two, the cost of parking for 14 hours is going up from £21 to a whopping £28. The move has been criticised by Hugh Bladon, one of the founding members of the Alliance of British Drivers campaign group, who used to work and live in Nottingham. Mr Bladon said: "We all understand that councils are strapped for cash and they're desperate and it seems that the first port of call is always the motorist. It's easy for them because the motorists have got to park somewhere. "However, what they don't seem to understand is that if they keep making it more expensive for people to park in town, then they will go and do their shopping elsewhere or take their business elsewhere. In town, we've got shops boarded up, the high street is dying and it's becoming more and more difficult for people to make a living. "I just don't understand the mentality of councils that don't seem to understand this basic fact." Nottingham City Council says its increase could generate an extra £344,000 in revenue a year, which it will invest in the transport network. The latest move comes despite the council deciding to freeze prices this year in its off-street car parks, like the Broad Marsh Car Park. The streets affected by the car parking increases Zone One - Cost of one hour going from £2.80 to £3 North Sherwood Street Major Street Clarendon Street Shakespeare Street St Marks Street Chaucer Street Huntingdon Street Wollaton Street Kent Street King Edward Street Broad Street Heathcoat Street North Circus Street Lower Parliament Street Nile Street Wellington Circus Brightmore Street Gedling Street Woolpack Lane Oxford Street Regent Street Barker Gate Plumptre Street Poplar Street Dean Street Canal Street Station Street Barker Gate East Circus Street Park Row Mount Street The Ropewalk Spaniel Row St Nicolas Street King Charles Street Castle Road Peveril Drive Zone Two - Cost of one hour going from £1.50 to £2 Mansfield Road Fulforth Street Dryden Street Hampden Street Gill Street St Ann's Well Road Brook Street Manvers Street Poplar Street Talbot Street Derby Road Upper College Street College Street Castle Boulevard Haslam Street Zone Three - Cost of one hour going from 80p to £1 Peel Street Ilkeston Road Summer Leys Lane Eugene Street Waterway Street Crocus Street Zones Four and Five - All daily tariff changes