USERS of Boscawen Park car park have accused the authorities of a lack of “joined-up thinking” after a busy weekend for traffic wardens.

Several drivers received parking fines during a sunny weekend at the park, which has required a parking ticket since October even for those visitors who are only staying for four hours free of charge.

Park regular Paul Caruana said: “The enforcement officer was busy-busy at the weekend, having a field day. If you arrive with your brain in neutral and forget to get a ticket, park for an hour and then get a £70 fine – it’s an expensive lesson to learn.”

Lesley Andrew added: “The signs are easy to read and understand, but once people see the first four hours is free they don't read the rest.”

Parking enforcement was brought into operation in Boscawen Park’s car park in October as part of Truro City Council’s Off Street Parking Places Order 2025. Parking is free for the first four hours, after which charges range from £4.20 to £10.50, seven days a week. All users are required to display a ticket upon arrival or register through the JustPark app.

Before the rules came into place, the car park was popular with city-centre employees who were keen to park all day free of charge. Mr Caruana said these motorists were now parking on the roadside, thereby shifting the problem to another location.

“I argued with the council at the time that this approach would simply move the problem from A to B,” he said. “All the people who were parking in the car park all day are now on the roadside – one day, I counted 47 vehicles out there.”

He added: “I would like to see it free all day at weekends at least.”

Town clerk David Rodda said the parking enforcement had been implemented to ensure parking was available for park visitors, and to deter lengthy overnight stays by campervans.

“It’s not a money-making scheme – we pay Cornwall Council to enforce it and we don’t receive the actual fines, so at best it washes its face,” he said.

“But from our viewpoint, it has been successful. We are not trying to penalise people – we don’t want anyone to get a fine. Simply get a ticket from the machine. And if anyone wants to park all day, there are cheaper places to do so in the city centre.”

Roadside parking is also a matter for Cornwall Council. A spokesperson said: “Truro City Council operates Boscawen Park car park and sets the terms and conditions, including the requirement to obtain a free ticket. Cornwall Council’s role is to enforce those rules, meaning a valid ticket must be displayed when parking.

“We would remind motorists read instructions and notices carefully, and to obtain a ticket where required and to park responsibly both within the car park and on surrounding roads.”

Cllr Rob Nolan, who is chair of Cornwall Council and also a Truro city councillor (LibDem) for Boscawen and Redannick ward, said: “The issue is that we haven’t got enough parking in Truro city centre and the Park and Ride doesn’t suit everyone due to its running hours.

“On-street parking charges look set to come in next year to open up more spaces, but we really need to sort out Moorfield so commuters can park there.”