Month: June 2023

TfL has updated its reminder to coach operators about some of the on-street parking and route restrictions in and around Victoria Coach Station.

Please be aware of the parking restrictions in and around Victoria Coach Station, which include –

Coaches must not:

• Use any bus stands – unless authorised by TfL.
• Use coach stops 6-10 on Buckingham Palace Road southbound – unless authorised by Green Line
• Use coach stops and stands on the nearside of Bulleid Way – unless authorised by Green Line
• Use coach stops and stands on the offside of Bulleid Way between 08.00 and 20.00 daily – unless authorised by Green Line. Outside these times Westminster City Council permits pay by phone parking
• Use any bus stops marked as “except local buses” (which includes bus stops V and W immediately outside and opposite Victoria Coach Station – unless authorised by TfL
• Park on single or double yellow lines during restricted hours
• Remain on bus or coach stops (where restrictions allow, see above) for longer than is necessary to board and alight passengers
• Park on chevrons
• Park on Semley Place
• Park or drive along St George’s Place  – except for access
• Park or drive along the northern section of Elizabeth Street between Eaton Square and Ebury Street
• Park or drive along Ebury Bridge Road – except for access
• If over 18T MGW  (any tri-axle coach) cross Eccleston Bridge from the south (from Belgrave Road or Bridge Place)
• Drop off passengers on Eccleston Place when Arrivals Terminal is closed

Please note: this is not an exhaustive list of parking restrictions that apply in the area, most of which also apply across the UK and drivers will be aware of them

Illegal parking

Unauthorised or illegal parking could result in:

• Penalty Charge Notices being issued by Westminster City Council
• Drivers being reported to their operators
• Driver and vehicle not being permitted access to Victoria Coach Station
• Drivers being banned from Victoria Coach Station

TfL stress that coaches are most welcome in London; however, because of the nature of the road network and the demands on kerbside space, some element of pre-planning before you bring a coach into London is essential. Visit the TfL website pages especially designed for coach drivers at https://bit.ly/3clllD8.

Alternative short, mid and long-term parking near Victoria

Off-street and pre-booked

• Bayswater Coach Park (near Notting Hill Gate)
• New Covent Garden Market (email [email protected])
• Green Line (call 07831 658 479)

On-street options

• Millbank (near Millbank Pier) – maximum stay two hours. Two spaces southbound and one space northbound
• Albert Embankment – maximum stay one hour
• Victoria Embankment southbound (near Westminster Pier) – maximum stay two hours
• Queen Victoria Street (near Blackfriars) – maximum stay four hours

On-street in Park Lane Southbound

• JDW Marriot (two bays) maximum stay one hour
• Between Upper Brook and Culross Streets (one bay) maximum stay one hour
• Hilton Hotel (one bay) maximum stay one hour

On-street in Park Lane Southbound

• To the rear of Apsley House (two bays) maximum stay one hour
• Between Curzon and Stanhope Gates (four bays) maximum stay one hour
• Between Stanhope and Grosvenor Gates (eleven bays) maximum stay two hours
• Alongside car park retaining wall (four bays) maximum stay two hours

Please note: Restrictions apply on some sections of parking on Park Lane northbound, all of which will be displayed on signage at the parking facilities

This information can be downloaded in PDF format.

A map of parking facilities is below

 

Manchester has become the first UK city to launch a “tourist tax” for visitors from 1 April 2023. The City Visitor Charge will mean that those staying in hotels face an extra £1 per room, per night, for their accommodation cost. The money will be used to help to run large events, conferences, festivals, marketing campaigns and for street cleanliness.

Manchester City Council chief executive Joanne Roney said the “innovative initiative” would raise £3million a year to enhance visitors’ experience. It would create “new events and activities for them to enjoy”, she said, adding that the money would be “invested directly into these activities, supporting Manchester’s accommodation sector to protect and create jobs and benefiting the city’s economy as a whole”.

Some 73 hotels and serviced apartments signed up to the levy scheme.

However, it seems as though many were unaware of the initiative including coach operators who were suddenly faced with an increased bill from hotels, without any warning. UK Coach Operator Association member Coopers Tours only found out when they queried an invoice and ended up meeting the increased cost on behalf of their customers.

Whilst the UKCOA can understand the logic of introducing a tourist tax, it appears as though it was not communicated effectively to the coach industry and has effectively left those operators who have had overnight stays in Manchester since 1 April out of pocket.

In addition to Manchester, Edinburgh City Council has been campaigning for the powers to introduce a levy on tourists since 2018. It is believed that they have approved plans for each person to be taxed £2 for every night they are staying in the capital, capped at seven nights.

The then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced last September that she would press ahead with plans to give councils the power to apply the tax on overnight stays. However, this has still not taken place.

Peter Bradley
Managing Director
UK Coach Operators Association

The northern part of Elizabeth Street between Eaton Square and Ebury Street now has a permanent restriction in place banning buses and coaches, except  for ocal buses, from using it in either direction.

This section of road can only be used by vehicles operating services where it is explicitly mentioned in the relevant London Service Permit or serve Eaton Square Primary School  (with prior agreement with the highway authority). It must not be used for any other vehicles including for diversions. As a result no other scheduled, tour or open top commercial bus and coach services operating in this area are permitted to use this section of road.