Find parking in Chelmsford
Information about parking in Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex in the East of England. Served by the Great Eastern Main Line railway, it’s a popular commuter town for workers in the City and Docklands areas of London. Trains go into London Liverpool Street to the west and as far as Ipswich and Norwich eastwards.
The A12 is the biggest road running through the parishes of Chelmsford. That, too, links Chelmsford to London, Suffolk and Norfolk as well as the M25 motorway at Brentwood.
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Additional Information
Some additional information about parking in chelmsford, to cater to all your parking needs
On-street parking
There is limited on-street parking in Chelmsford, but it does exist. Those wanting to park near the railway station will find short-stay street parking at Victoria Rd, Railway Street or Broomfield Road. In the town centre, there is on-street parking in Waterloo Lane.
You can use the JustPark map to find available on-street parking spaces in Chelmsford.
Off-street parking
There is an abundance of off-street parking in Chelmsford, so parking is generally trouble-free for visitors to the city. Bigger multistoreys are best avoided if exiting at peak times, as queues sometimes form.
To avoid parking inside Chelmsford altogether and any heavy traffic you might encounter, there are park-and-ride sites at Sandon and Chelmer Valley. The former is handy for access to the A12, while the latter connects to Broomfield Hospital via a shuttle service.
Close to Chelmsford centre, there are many off-street parking choices for long or short stays. The Baddow Rd car park offers both. Closer still to amenities are the Meadows car parks with surface and multistorey parking.
At the other end of town, near the bus station, railway station and High Chelmer shopping centre, is the High Chelmer multistorey with over a thousand short-stay spaces. This is a good bet if you want to nip in and out of town at off-peak times.
JustPark offers a range of reservable off-street parking spaces in Chelmsford, which you can book in advance online.
Public transport
The main hub of public transport in Chelmsford is the bus station in Duke Street, which serves all local parishes and nearby Essex towns like Braintree, Colchester, Maldon and Southend.
Close to the bus station is the aforementioned Chelmsford Railway Station (also Duke St), which carries passengers to London and East Anglian cities.
Disabled parking
There are at least fifteen car parks in Chelmsford with disabled parking. Blue Badge holders can park free of charge in disabled bays for three hours. Normal fees apply after the three hours.
Parking restrictions & event days
The main parking restrictions near Chelmsford come in the form of residential permit areas within easy walking distance to the town. People willing to walk for 30 minutes or so may find free parking farther out.
Drivers should be aware of quite heavy fines imposed at free car parks if they exceed the standard two hours (e.g. Riverside Retail Park in Victoria Rd). Such car parks are fine as long as you watch the clock.
Overnight, weekends & bank holidays
Bank Holiday parking in Chelmsford should be treated as normal Monday parking unless there is any indication to the contrary.
Drop-off and pick-up
At Chelmsford Railway Station off Victoria Rd, there is limited 20-minute parking for dropping off or meeting passengers. Duke Street is a convenient place to offload passengers for shopping. Much of Chelmsford is now pedestrianised.
Nearby attractions
Aside from many shops and restaurants, Chelmsford’s main attraction is probably the excellent Chelmsford Museum in Oaklands Park at the top of Moulsham Street.