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The Great Parking Debate
- Thread starter Spark
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SuperMuscleMan
TS Member
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- Colossus
I think what annoys me the most is that it was never intended/marketed to subsidise park entry.
It was pitched and sold to the public as a way of helping the local community and thempark users access the park on a new relief road.
Merlin and Alton have basically pissed on the local community and their neighbours. (Although Alton would not piss on you as that would be an upsell).
The park has dire public transport options. The monorail is also very poor these days and lacks any sort of proper investment. So next time Merlin or alton want the community's support I hope they say no.
Please stop letting them off the hook with "thorpe does this, blackpool does this" etc. They said it was for a relief and that was a lie. TLC - lies (toadstool etc), Parking - lies, world firsts - lies, 50 rides and attractions - lies - Alton Towers where the lies never end!
Im sorry to be so negative but when is our theme park industry going to collapse? I hope soon. It really needs a reset.
I am sure there are great people within the theme park industry. But alton is rotten to the core.
It was pitched and sold to the public as a way of helping the local community and thempark users access the park on a new relief road.
Merlin and Alton have basically pissed on the local community and their neighbours. (Although Alton would not piss on you as that would be an upsell).
The park has dire public transport options. The monorail is also very poor these days and lacks any sort of proper investment. So next time Merlin or alton want the community's support I hope they say no.
Please stop letting them off the hook with "thorpe does this, blackpool does this" etc. They said it was for a relief and that was a lie. TLC - lies (toadstool etc), Parking - lies, world firsts - lies, 50 rides and attractions - lies - Alton Towers where the lies never end!
Im sorry to be so negative but when is our theme park industry going to collapse? I hope soon. It really needs a reset.
I am sure there are great people within the theme park industry. But alton is rotten to the core.
I disagree. The Premium pass offers considerable other perks around the UK, its not just for Alton!
Rob
TS Team
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- Steel Vengeance
You make it sound like the relief road was as simple as just raising some funds and building it. Ahhhhhh, if only it was!
The relief road will never happen for many reasons, many of these reasons are out of the control of Alton Towers.
Steve74
TS Member
I'm sorry but I think that last sentence is totally uncalled for and to be honest an insult to the staff of Towers. I know a few members of staff there (not management) and I can assure you they are not rotten to the core and they love the place and the job they do. Yes, ok some Towers management and/or Merlin management may - in your opinion be rotten to the core as you put it - but don't paint everyone with the same brush. There are some superb members of staff at Towers, including the people I know, who would go out of their way to help visitors and make sure they have a great day.
Call me a fanboy if you like, but I love Towers and yes of course the place has it's faults as does every theme park on the planet but I don't think the place deserves the constant bashing it seems to get on this and other forums especially when sometimes it is uncalled for and unnecessary.
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SuperMuscleMan
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Ive been going to the park for decades and its never been this bad. Its not worthy of the title 'Theme Park'. Yes like i said there are great people about but its deep within the park where its so rotten. And yes i understand building a relief road is not easy. But if it failed thr money should have gone to the community to provide other solutions.
SuperMuscleMan
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- Colossus
Totaly agree. It would have a better environmental impact, possibly encourage more visitors and help with the heavy traffic. I have no problem with them taking a % of the parking. But i would want a sizable chunk invested in the community that supports the towers.
I'd suggest they improve the failing/ugly/uncomfortable transport links between the car park and park entrance too.
The monorail queue is often longer than the walk to the park, the windows on the monorail are blacked out negating the cool view, the benches are uncomfortable and the stations should've had major renovations years ago. Not to mention the issue with lack of air gates.
Of course, that would affect premium parking income. Though I'm not sure premium parking should ever have been invented. They were too busy thinking about whether they could charge that much they didn't stop to think whether they should - or whatever that quote is.
Edit : just realised the sensationalism in the first paragraph sounds like a trump quote. We're going to make the park great again and cut loose the FAILING and UGLY monorail. #PoorPeopleShouldWalk
Such a move - a bit like a Section 106 planning agreement would appease a lot of people if Towers publicised it. For those not in the know, a Section 106 agreement is where a developer agrees to pay towards local infrastructure in return for planning permission being granted.
When Towers apply for permission for a new ride, there is normally a Section 106 condition that they have to spend money in improving the heritage aspect of Towers. This has led to the excellent restoration work on the Pagoda Fountain, Prospect Tower & Garden Conservatories. Has SMDC (Staffordshire Moorlands District Council) not insisted on these Section 106 agreements, I'd bet an awful lot of money that Merlin would not have allocated a penny to the heritage restoration, unless they were legally forced to do so.
So if Towers spent a good percentage of the parking revenue on local community projects [and publicised the fact] to appease the local community for the traffic inconvenience, I am sure fewer guests would object to the parking fee.
With regard to Premium Parking, I know back in the early 2000's they [Towers] deliberately used to slow down the arrival flow rate into the main carpark at peak arrival times to generate a queue back towards the right turn for the premium parking entrance. Guests saw "£2 for a queue to get in, or £8 [as I think it was back then] for no queue". 200 premium parking spaces filled... easy money. This is fact - the manager responsible for carparks & admissions back then told me this to my face & even admitted it was a bit unethical, but it was easy money - and this was before M£rlin arrived on the scene.
BarryZola
TS Member
Why should car drivers partially subsidize people on public transport though? If my parking fee goes towards running a bus service that drops people off at the plaza, I at least want a free tuk-tuk ride from the car park to the plaza. Monorail is often a waste of time. For arguments sake.
speedy
TS Member
We need to get people out their cars for the sake of traffic and the environment. Parking charges plus compelling public transport options should help achieve this.
James
TS Founding Member
The majority of parks around the world charge for parking so Alton isn't exactly out of the ordinary when it comes to this. Sure, it goes against the original purpose of the parking charge and the relief road is a long lost idea. However times change and it's pretty standard to expect a car parking charge while visiting any theme park as a day guest.
It's a bit like overpriced food and drink, it's a 'typical theme park' thing.
It's a bit like overpriced food and drink, it's a 'typical theme park' thing.
ChristmasPud
TS Member
I've come to accept parking charges at any theme park now but so long as they're reasonable and good value for the ccar park provisions and the day ahead. Otherwise there's no quicker way to embitter your guests! Currently Alton Towers doesn't provide good value for its parking charge regardless of where that money actually goes.
RicketyCricket
TS Member
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- Taron
This.
Although I think the balance is about right in regards to parking cost/on park satisfaction.
Thorpe however, is a poor to average day out, and then a £10 fee to escape the misery.
Disney/Universal are the opposite, it's very expensive to park but the customer service and operations are top notch.
Dave
TS Founding Member
Yikes you suffer from a serious case of hyperbole.
1) A lot of the parks senior team are very aware of the issues they have. I know for certain there is very little enthusiasm for Dungeons or the Alton Towers Pig Farm sleeping experience. Both where pushed by Merlin as is the budget. Merlin also instigated the redundancies that culled a lot of management who knew what they where doing from an operational perspective.
2) You can get rid of parking charges and all they will do is absorb the lost revenue into other streams. Pretty much every park in the world charges parking, it’s become something guests expect so why would they take that income and force up prices in other areas?
3) I agree Towers is about as bad as it’s ever been (and I have been visiting since the late 80’s) but you need to visit more parks if you think it’s not worthy of the “theme park” title. There is some absolute dross out there.
4) Relief Road will never happen because it would have to go over JCB land, the Bamfords won’t sell and the Tory local council is not going to place compulsory purchase orders on a major Tory donor.
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SuperMuscleMan
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1) Dont do personal attacks, i dont.
2) I did not mention the dungeons.
3) my previous point mentions that Thorpe, etc are ok to charge for parking. Their are good public transport options. They never promiced to help the local community. This is not about theme park fans but the community around it
4) Alton offers very little escapism.
5) other enviroment and transport options could be trialed or used.