Whether you’re a local who regularly travels into the city for work or leisure, or you’re a visitor from further afield, you’re probably wondering what your best options are for finding decent Leeds car parks. Of course everyone will have their own specific criteria depending on what part of the city you’re visiting, the reasons for your journey and other considerations such as mobility issues. However, convenience, security and cost are probably the most common checklist items for people searching for the right car park to suit their needs.
Here we’ll take a look at the various types of Leeds car parks, to help you decide on the best option for you.
City centre multi-story car parks
Leeds has a good selection of multi-storey car parks, most of which are run by private companies. These can be a good option for those who want to park right in the thick of it – and don’t mind navigating the busy roads that lead to them! While convenient in this respect, the downside of multi-storey car parks tends to be their price. Convenience comes at cost and unless you’re just hopping into the city for a short and defined length of time, you can soon ramp up extortionate parking fees in these car parks. You don’t need to worry about getting a parking ticket though; the ‘pay as you leave’ system means that you don’t have to decide on your visiting period when you park. The cost for an hour or two could be deemed reasonable for being so central, but after that you may find the fees a little prohibitive.
Council run Leeds car parks
There are a good number of council run car parks in Leeds, although you’ll find the spaces tend to be more limited than the multi-stories. Council parking fees will generally be a little lower than the car parks run by bigger businesses, but it may take a while before you find that coveted parking space! There are car parks scattered throughout the city; some are located within the main, central shopping district and some on the outskirts – plan your route and preferred car park before you set out or you could be spending a lot longer than you bargained for searching for somewhere to leave your car.
On-street parking
There is a selection of on-street car parking spaces in Leeds, but they’re limited and very popular! Great if you’re just heading in for a quick errand, but you need to be lucky to find one that’s free. While this option used to represent the chance to get some free parking at certain times, since November 2013 free parking in Leeds has been abolished – so while you may find this a cheaper option at weekends and on the evenings, it can still cost a pretty penny during the day.
Independent Leeds car parks
Finding an independent car park can be a much cheaper way of spending some time in the city. You might need to head a little further outside of the centre for this, but it’s definitely worth an extra few minute’s walk if it means you can save an extra £5 or more! Car parks like Trafalgar Street are ideal, as they offer the perfect combination of great value and security was still being convenient enough for the average shopper. It’s also located near to the Leeds First Direct Arena, making it a great choice for Arena car parking too!
As with most choices in life, you need to weigh up the most important factors to you and work out which of the options for Leeds car parks ticks the most boxes – good luck and enjoy your visit to this city!