Airports are the most common place for drivers to suffer lengthy parking delays, new research finds.
The research, carried out by cashless parking app RingGo among some 2,000 respondents, found that drivers parking at airports faced delays averaging 10 minutes or more.
However, when it comes the longest delay, drivers said that hospital car parks can see them waste 20 minutes or more before finding a space. By contrast, supermarkets are the least stressful places to park, with an average waiting time of just 4.9 minutes.
Overall, hunting for a parking space adds an average of 8.4 minutes to motorists’ daily journeys, while 10% spend more than 15 minutes driving around looking for a spot.
Despite this, drivers’ single biggest bugbear about parking is cost, as cited by 54% of respondents. By comparison, 44% said that not being able to find a space was their worst parking problem, while poor parking from other motorists came in a close third.
“Parking is only a small part of a journey, but it can often present the most stress if you are not equipped with the right information,” said Peter O’Driscoll, managing director at RingGo.
“One of the most powerful tools to ease the pains of parking is in every driver’s pocket or attached to their dashboard: their smartphone. Our research found that a third of Brits (35%) use their phone to pay for parking, and 27% have a parking app on their phone. Today’s parking apps take all the hassle out of parking, enabling drivers not only to find the best prices but also to be directed to an empty space, ensuring an end to the frustration that parking brings to the joy of driving.”
