The cost of parking in Hamilton is to go up by as much as 50 percent in a bid to raise more money to provide additional parking.

The move is also aimed at encouraging residents to use public transport to travel into the city to work and shop.

The Corporation of Hamilton, however, sweetened the pill of price hikes by announcing that it is to put up an extra floor of parking at Bulls Head Car Park (subject to planning approval) and is actively looking into providing more spaces within the City.

The cost of the extra floor at Bulls Head is believed to be about $3 million and will be met by the hike in the cost, which will hit all forms of parking as of June 25.

Parking vouchers and the cost of parking at Cavendish, King Street and Number Seven car park will go up from 50 cents to 75 cents. City Hall, Par-la-Ville, Number One and Number Five car parks will all go up from 75 cents to $1 and all day parking at Bulls Head, Bulls Head North, Laffan Street and Elliott Street car parks will rise from $3 a day to $4 per day.

"Nobody is happy to pay more for parking anywhere," said George Grundmuller, chairman of the Visitor Retail Division of the Chamber of Commerce. "But it is a fact that there is not enough parking for the shoppers in Hamilton."

Charles Gosling, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, said that they as a group do not oppose the rise in tariffs as they see the need for more parking in Hamilton as the biggest concern.

"This added cost is to be met by the people actually using the service and the Department of Transport is certainly looking at ways of providing alternative parking,'" said Mr. Gosling.

The issue of parking has been a heated topic of debate in the city since the City of Hamilton 2001 Plan was published. In this, a form of pedestrianisation of Reid Street is proposed.

But there has been opposition to the plan because some retailers state that it would reduce the already small number of parking spaces available in the City.

The Corporation and the Ministry of Transport have been meeting with retailers and the Chamber of Commerce to find a solution to the problem.

Corporation of Hamilton Secretary Roger Sherratt, said: "The Corporation is seeking to put an extra floor of parking at Bulls Head Car Park subject to receiving approval from the Development Applications Board and is also actively investigating the feasibility of providing additional parking spaces at other pay and display car parks, including a multi-storey car park at Cavendish.

"Revenue from the increased fees will help to meet the cost of providing additional public parking in the city."

He added that the Corporation was still servicing the debt of the $6 million bond issue raised for the Bulls Head Car Park and is also having to borrow to fund the cost of constructing the new $7.8 million preliminary sewage treatment and pumping facility on Front Street which is due to be completed later this year.

Mr. Sherratt said the city was faced with an ever increasing number of vehicles pouring into the city, both four-wheeled and two-wheeled, and with a limited capacity to park them and no possibility of building new roads in and out of Hamilton, traffic congestion will continue to be a major problem for the Corporation "unless more people can be encouraged to use public transportation. It is certainly hoped that with the last new fast ferry service due to come on-line early 2002, and an expansion of the public bus service, more people will seek alternative forms of transportation into the City."

The Corporation pointed out that in a study conducted in 1997, the consultants STM said they considered the city's parking charges "to be very low for an Island with such a high standard of living".

The increases have to be first approved by Parliament through the "affirmative resolution" procedure. It is anticipated the Government will support the Corporation's application to increase the parking fees. Although the Corporation says it does not at this time intend to raise the vouchers to $2, Parliamentary approval for the move has also been applied for by the Corporation.