Free Street Car Parking in Birmingham City Centre?

Original post by Maddy25

Hi

I've just purchased a car and would like to drive to Uni but not be paying over £10 to park my car everyday :wink:

. I need somewhere that I can almost always find a space. I don't mind the morning too much but am worried a little about the afternoon, say if I was finding somewhere to park my car at 1-2pm?!

I don't mind parking 5-15 mins walk away from Aston Uni. As long as its free and not too spooky! :eek:

I was thinking around Digbeth but don't know any particularly good spots.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Maddy.

You do know Aston is right in the City Centre, don't you? Parking is very limited and free parking is almost impossible to find, and certainly not reliable enough to use regularly.

You can try Woodcock Street but you'll probably not find space.

I think you'd have to go to more like a 30 minute or so walk to find free parking - I would suggest if you're really desperate to drive every day, that you try where I used to live - put the postcode B9 4QJ into Google Maps, the streets around there can often be parked on.

Are you proposing to commute into uni every day, or are you proposing that you live on campus and keep a car with you? If the latter, there really is no need as everything can be accessed with much greater ease on foot.

Reply 2

OP

Original post by andrewkeith5

You do know Aston is right in the City Centre, don't you? Parking is very limited and free parking is almost impossible to find, and certainly not reliable enough to use regularly.

You can try Woodcock Street but you'll probably not find space.

I think you'd have to go to more like a 30 minute or so walk to find free parking - I would suggest if you're really desperate to drive every day, that you try where I used to live - put the postcode B9 4QJ into Google Maps, the streets around there can often be parked on.

Are you proposing to commute into uni every day, or are you proposing that you live on campus and keep a car with you? If the latter, there really is no need as everything can be accessed with much greater ease on foot.

I live in Solihull so I'm going to travel to Uni everyday. I checked that postcode and it is waaay too far.

Reply 3

Original post by Maddy25

I live in Solihull so I'm going to travel to Uni everyday. I checked that postcode and it is waaay too far.

To be honest I think you'd be better off getting the train. There are so few free parking places that if you try and commute in you're going to find yourself either late quite frequently, or paying a lot for parking...

Reply 4

OP

Original post by andrewkeith5

To be honest I think you'd be better off getting the train. There are so few free parking places that if you try and commute in you're going to find yourself either late quite frequently, or paying a lot for parking...

I've already spent over £3000 on car and insurance so a bit late for that now.

Reply 5

Original post by Maddy25

I've already spent over £3000 on car and insurance so a bit late for that now.

Perhaps you should have considered the lack of free parking in Birmingham beforehand if you only bought your car to commute?

Currently the maximum return train far is £5.10 from Solihull to Birmingham, and factoring in the cost of maintaining a car and paying for fuel (and paying for parking when you can't find a free space) you will be spending the same if not more on driving, especially given the fact that you're not likely to get very good economy in the sort of traffic you'll be driving in.

Most cities have very, very limited parking and that which is available is normally strictly time limited and heavily enforced.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 6

raspberrybubbles

Considering you're from Solihull and live quite close to Birmingham, did you not know what the situation with parking was going to be like? It's hard to believe you didn't think this through before spending all that money on a car.

Reply 7

OP

Original post by raspberrybubbles

Considering you're from Solihull and live quite close to Birmingham, did you not know what the situation with parking was going to be like? It's hard to believe you didn't think this through before spending all that money on a car.

Well I didn't buy it only for Uni. I go travelling a lot and would prefer not to buy a bus pass this year. Thanks for you're unuseful post, but, thankfully some nice people have PM'd me sharing some secret spots in town.

Reply 8

raspberrybubbles

Original post by Maddy25

Well I didn't buy it only for Uni. I go travelling a lot and would prefer not to buy a bus pass this year. Thanks for you're unuseful post, but, thankfully some nice people have PM'd me sharing some secret spots in town.

**your

Reply 9

Original post by Maddy25

Well I didn't buy it only for Uni. I go travelling a lot and would prefer not to buy a bus pass this year. Thanks for you're unuseful post, but, thankfully some nice people have PM'd me sharing some secret spots in town.

Sorry for trying to help, but if that's the sort of attitude you're going to give people I look forward to hearing about all of your parking tickets.

Enjoy your travels.

Reply 10

username392640

14

Original post by Maddy25

Well I didn't buy it only for Uni. I go travelling a lot and would prefer not to buy a bus pass this year. Thanks for you're unuseful post, but, thankfully some nice people have PM'd me sharing some secret spots in town.

LOL pmed you know like its some massive secret or something.

Anyway even in these 'secret spots' good luck actually finding a spot to park when loads of people that actually live near there and know places inside out

Reply 11

original_username

15

Original post by Maddy25

I live in Solihull so I'm going to travel to Uni everyday. I checked that postcode and it is waaay too far.

Get the train to Moor Street/ Snow hill.
Waste of money driving in from solz.

Reply 12

Original post by TheProdigy2k9

LOL pmed you know like its some massive secret or something.

Anyway even in these 'secret spots' good luck actually finding a spot to park when loads of people that actually live near there and know places inside out

I did try and say! Birmingham City Council have also started to progressively block them off this year.

Reply 13

hvh

12

Free, reliable parking in Birmingham City Centre? Not going to happen! How can you pay £3000 setting yourself up with a car, insurance ect and not consider the extra costs to driving - petrol and parking?

As everyone else has said, get the bloody train. Also, learn how to talk to people, even when they say things you don't want to hear, because that's life.

Reply 14

0906079

While we're on this subject is there any motorcycle parking in the uni? I can remember that there were bikes parked right outside the back enterance of the main building (the only entrance for access at night) but is that for staff only, and do you get there via Aston street?

Oh op the only two places you can park for free is millennium point which is about 15 mins away or woodcock centre outside the gym which is 5 mins away but harder to find a spot. After 4 pm the barriers are up so you can park inside the uni car park.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 15

username392640

14

Original post by andrewkeith5

I did try and say! Birmingham City Council have also started to progressively block them off this year.

Exactly, OP comes across as very rude when people are just trying to help.

AlsoOP you say you don't want a 'spooky' place when most of these streets are exactly that.

Reply 16

Original post by 0906079

While we're on this subject is there any motorcycle parking in the uni? I can remember that there were bikes parked right outside the back enterance of the main building (the only entrance for access at night) but is that for staff only, and do you get there via Aston street?

Oh op the only two places you can park for free is millennium point which is about 15 mins away or woodcock centre outside the gym which is 5 mins away but harder to find a spot. After 4 pm the barriers are up so you can park inside the uni car park.

I believe there are a couple of motorcycle bays outside the Out of Hours entrance but I don't know who's allowed to use them (give security a call is probably best advice, the number is on the back of your Unicard) - there are a few motorcycle bays outside the Millenium Point multi-storey too - I can't think of any way they could charge for them.

If what you say about the millenium point parking is the street up to the car park, most of the people parking there do so illegally, and most of it has now been cut off anyway, and as you say and I said earlier Woodcock Street is far from reliable and often people park there illegally too.

You're right about the barriers though but that's not really a practical solution for attending a full-time course!

Original post by TheProdigy2k9

Exactly, OP comes across as very rude when people are just trying to help.

AlsoOP you say you don't want a 'spooky' place when most of these streets are exactly that.

Agreed!

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 17

OP

Original post by andrewkeith5

Sorry for trying to help, but if that's the sort of attitude you're going to give people I look forward to hearing about all of your parking tickets.

Enjoy your travels.

Sorry I didn't mean to sound so rude. But I simply opened this thread to look for parking places not for advice whether to buy a car which is what a lot of people are saying and automatically assuming I bought the car specifically for Uni.

Reply 18

Flat

Original post by andrewkeith5

You're right about the barriers though but that's not really a practical solution for attending a full-time course!

Which barriers are these? The ones leading to the car park opposite the Lakeside Conference centre and the football pitches?

So you're allowed to park there for free after 4pm? Or do you have to buy a ticket/have a permit?

Reply 19