Visitors to Snowdon can pre-book parking spaces from today in bid to tackle traffic issues

Visitors climbing Wales’ highest mountain will be able to pre-book their parking spaces as part of a pilot designed to stamp out traffic issues.

There have been ongoing problems with parking in the Snowdonia National Park since lockdown measures were eased.

It has resulted in drivers either being fined or having their vehicles towed away after North Wales Police and Gwynedd Council decided to take action.

The national park authority has now announced the launch of a booking system at the Pen-y-Pass car park at the foot of Snowdon.

Available on weekends and bank holidays for the remainder of the summer, it is planned to support a wider review of parking and transport arrangements in Snowdonia.

At these times, access to the car park will be reserved only for those who book ahead.

The system went live earlier today and can be accessed by visiting the booking website.

The park authority said visitors will be required to show their confirmation e-mail on arrival to gain access to the car park.

It said: “Anyone without a pre-booked space will need to use the park and ride facilities at Nant Peris and Llanberis to access Pen-y- Pass.

“It is important to note that we expect available parking slots to sell out extremely quickly.

“The pilot aligns with the innovative parking and transport review for the Yr Wyddfa and Ogwen areas, which is due to be presented to partners in September.

“Based on the findings of the consultation with communities and partners and the data analysis, it was clear that the momentum and the ambition was there to develop an integrated sustainable tourism offer.”