Top marks for car parks

Five car parks in Stevenage have all been awarded the Park Mark accreditation. Locations include St Georges, Westgate, The Forum, Railway South and Primett Road South.

This is great news for Stevenage, as car parks that receive the Park Mark award will have been risk assessed by specially trained police personnel and must meet certain rigorous criteria to retain the certification.

For customers using these car parks, you have the peace of mind that when leaving your vehicle in a Park Mark accredited location, not only has the area been inspected, but it has a low crime rate, where measures are in place that already help to create a safer environment and deter criminal activity and antisocial behaviour.

Some of the other measures that help to make these car parks safer places include:

• Quality management
• Appropriate lighting
• Effective surveillance
• Clean environment

You'll be able to recognise a Park Mark accredited car park by looking out for the distinctive Park Mark signage erected at each of the registered sites so you know that you can park your car there, feeling confident that it is in a safe location.

Councillor Lloyd Briscoe, Executive Member – Economy, Enterprise and Transport said: “Parking is of key importance to everyone living and visiting Stevenage. Ensuring our car parks are of a good standard and accredited to schemes such as the Park Mark Award, helps us to ensure that everyone using these facilities realises that they can leave their vehicles with the confidence that they will be safe and secure until they return.

“It’s great that we are doing all we can to ensure these car parks provide a safe environment, along with the measures to reduce and keep criminal activity and antisocial behaviour to a minimum wherever we can. So next time you’re visiting, make sure you look out for one of our Park Mark accredited car parks!”