I spotted recently that the Bear’s Paw in Frodsham is planning to introduce pay and display parking on its car park, with the price of a ticket refundable for food and drink in the pub. I can’t say I blame them, really, as the pub is right in the centre of the town and its car park must be overwhelmed by shoppers during the week. In fact I’m surprised we don’t see more of this, as there are plenty of pubs in busy locations whose car parks seem to be seen as fair game by non-customers. It can cause ructions with the local community, though.
Mind you, across the road from the Bear’s Paw is the Golden Lion, a Sam Smith’s pub that doesn’t have its own car park, and given that the beer in there is around a pound a pint cheaper you still wouldn’t be out of pocket even if you paid the charge.
One local pub that has had pay and display for some years is the Airport Hotel near Manchester Airport, which was finding itself inundated by plane spotters.