Council car parks

Parking in Bedford town centre is simple and convenient.

Free parking

Up to 2 hours every Saturday in all Council town centre single and multi-storey car parks.
All day every Sunday in Council-owned town centre car parks
Every day after 6pm in all town centre car parks except for River Street
Free on street parking after 6pm, Monday - Saturday except for Castle Lane which is 11pm
First 2 hours parking free Monday to Saturday in Queen Street Car Park

You may still need to put a 'pay and display' ticket on your vehicle

New car parking

Greyfriars Surface car park: 2 hours £2.00 pay and display (Maximum of 2 hours per stay)
Prebend Street Surface car park: Ideal parking for the hospital.

Late night parking

Allhallows, Lurke Street and River Street multi-storey car parks are open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Lurke Street and Allhallows car parks offer free parking from 6pm to 6am.

Saturday parking

Parking is now free for up to 2 hours in all town centre multi-storey and surface car parks on Saturdays. This does not apply to on-street parking.

Available at:

Allhallows multi-storey car park
Lurke Street multi-storey car park
Queen Street multi-storey car park
River Street multi-storey car park
Duckmill Lane surface car park
Greyfriars surface car park
St Peter's Street surface car park
St Marys Gardens

Car park season tickets

Season tickets are permits or passes that allow you to park in a particular car park. They are available for most car parks. A season ticket reduces the average price of daily parking. You pay for a season ticket in advance so there is no need to visit a pay machine at all.

Please note that a season ticket is only valid for the car park for which you have paid for.

Season car park tickets start at the first day of each month.

Download a car park season ticket application form here - you must use this option if you need us to send you an invoice.

You can renew a car park season ticket by email at parkingcs@bedford.gov.uk or by phone on 01234 718057. Please tell us:

your contact telephone number
the car park you want to renew your permit for
your vehicle registration
the month you want to start from

Toilets

Public toilets are available across the town centre. The first floor of River Street Multi Storey includes a ‘changing place’ toilet. The ‘Changing Place’ is open during the car park opening hours. For further details visit, public toilets

Avoid getting a fine

You must put a 'pay and display' ticket on your vehicle, even if the first 2 hours are free.

Check arrangements at the car park when you park your vehicle.

Displaying the free pay and display tickets helps us see how long vehicles have been parked for. This ensures a regular turnover of spaces and prevents abuse of the scheme.

If you want to park for longer than 2 hours, you will need to pay the relevant tariff.