# MH Parking Taunton



## loughrigg (Nov 10, 2008)

For anyone visiting Taunton this year, the following might be of interest:

*Borough Council car parks* - All HGV/caravans/trailers (motorhomes not mentioned) are directed to one large car park on Priory Bridge Road. All other council car parks have a weight limit of 1,500kg - technically excluding quite a few larger saloon cars / MPV.

Priory Bridge Road is a combined car / lorry park (unmanned without barriers) and this is where it starts to get confusing. Any vehicle exceeding 1,500kg seems to be classed as a lorry and is directed to park in bays marked in yellow - unfortunately, the yellow paint has not been renewed for many, many years and is all but invisible. The yellow bays have also been overpainted with normal white-lined car bays, making them even harder to spot.

The main tariff displayed is for vehicles up to 1,500kg. Above that weight, the lorry tariff applies - 50p for up to one hour or £5 for any longer period up to a maximum of 24 hours.

*On Saturdays, no vehicles over 1,500kg are allowed on Priory Bridge Road car park- the lorry park becomes a car park only.* When I asked the borough council where I could park on a Saturday, they helpfully suggested that I would have to make other arrangements.

Alternatively:

*Park & Ride* - there are two sites owned by Somerset County Council at Silk Mills Road (west of Taunton) and Taunton Gateway (East of Taunton near M5/J25). Sites open Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm / Saturday 9am - 4pm / closed Sunday.

I didn't try these sites myself, but according to SCC there are height barriers although at 3.5 metres rather than the more usual 2 metres (the shuttle buses into Taunton use the same entrances). No long vehicle bays, but the advice from the bus company that operates the two sites is to just park sensibly and straddle two bays. There are no parking charges, with the cost built into the bus ticket into Taunton (£2 per person (return)).

Mike


----------

