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Car Parking Charge

Looks like it is for easy bashing points and trying to generate poor quality discussion, which is a shame.

There were many issues with the bypass; cost (who pays what), planning and JCB being significant factors. But that is for another topic!

:)
 
Ok, so if the bypass is never realistically going to happen and public transport links are pretty poor, why do Towers still charge for parking? And I don’t want a “Because they can / stop bashing them” reply, I would prefer higher quality discussion also.
 
Ok, so if the bypass is never realistically going to happen and public transport links are pretty poor, why do Towers still charge for parking? And I don’t want a “Because they can / stop bashing them” reply, I would prefer higher quality discussion also.
Honestly I think the only answer is because they can.
They did some road surface improvements with car parking money but the rest has ended up just propping up general budgets.

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While staying in the Enchanted Village last weekend, having taken a 5 year old for the first time, it hit me just how far a walk it it is to the monorail! Maybe with the car parking money they could introduce a shuttle service from the Enchanted Village reception over to the monorail. Just buy 2 old single decker buses, tart them up, chuck out most of the seats (like airport busses), and run them over to the monorail. Say every 15 minutes between 8:45 and 10am then every hour after that until 4pm when they start running 15 mins again.

This can shuttle people over from the hotel to the monorail. I would think the car parking monies could easily support this.
 
I don't understand this obsession with mapping car parking income to the costs associated with delivering the parking. I understand that it was one of Tussauds methods to 'soften the blow' when it was introduced, but that's not really how business works.

Also, because they can.
 
Ok, so if the bypass is never realistically going to happen and public transport links are pretty poor, why do Towers still charge for parking? And I don’t want a “Because they can / stop bashing them” reply, I would prefer higher quality discussion also.

It's because they can. I'm not sure how much 'high quality' discussion you could get out of that.

Tussauds really, genuinely wanted to build the bypass, but it was proving to be a logistical nightmare, even in the late nineties. It will never happen.
 
The other argument for car park charging is the eco bollox argument.
Instead of three friends turning up in three cars, it encourages them to share transport to the park to avoid paying three times.
If you have to pay to park...and let's face it, getting to the Towers by public transport is simply not an option for many, then the roads to the car park should be of a decent quality, without dangerous sharp bends that could easily be smoothed out with a bit of expenditure.
The number of times I have nearly had a head on leaving early, meeting a late arrival on the way in.
 
I've moved all posts relating to the car parking charge to this new thread so not to detract from discussion about a potential Dungeons attraction.

:)
 
They charge car parking because Merlin say's so, nothing to do with the bypass? If that was true, then why do Thorpe, Chessie, Legoland, Warrick Castle also charge for parking? Are they also getting a bypass too?
 
When the parking charge was introduced, I remember Ralph Armond going on record in the local press saying that the money would be ring-felnced to enhance the public transport infrastructure / options to get to the park (as well as possibly to help pay for the much-mooted bypass).

We all know what happened to the bypass. Namely that the county council told Towers they would have to pay for it themselves as they could not be seen to spend public money to solely benefit a private company. Planning & land ownership issues aside, Towers then did some traffic surveys and concluded that the bypass would only be needed a handful of weeks a season, so they could not justify the expenditure.

I was reliably told that some senior management at Towers did want to remove (or at least reduce) the parking charge a few years back. The problem they had was how to fill the hole it would leave in the park funding. Given the ever increasing budget cutbacks at Towers (and other Merlin parks) the parking charges are here to stay.

All I will say is that the Towers parking charge is cheap (as are their car parks). Over at Universal Orlando last month is was $22 a day to park - so about £17). Admittedly, I was parking in a proper multi-storey garage with CCTV & help points liberally scattered round, as well as regular security patrols. I bet instances of car crime in Universals's car parks are pretty low... unlike at Towers where admittedly the punters don't help themselves by leaving things on show.
 
I have no problem with the parking charge at Alton Towers. Parking charges are common place at theme parks yet I only ever see people moan about the charge at Alton Towers (and some other Merlin parks). Most parks in the US charge a fortune to park on a big patch of tarmac!

:)
 
I was reliably told that some senior management at Towers did want to remove (or at least reduce) the parking charge a few years back. The problem they had was how to fill the hole it would leave in the park funding. Given the ever increasing budget cutbacks at Towers (and other Merlin parks) the parking charges are here to stay.

Forget the idea that any money raised from the parking will go towards funding a bypass or to fill any gaps in the park funding. All turnover made by any of the Merlin attractions has to go through Merlin first who then decides on how the money is distributed among all the different Merlin attractions. The only exception to this is any money raised for any registered charity which then the charity has a say on how the money is spent.

I have no problem with the parking charge at Alton Towers. Parking charges are common place at theme parks yet I only ever see people moan about the charge at Alton Towers (and some other Merlin parks). Most parks in the US charge a fortune to park on a big patch of tarmac!

:)

It may have become more common place at theme parks, but I do have a problem with parking charges. I visit many various tourist attractions over the years, and no other tourist attraction here in the UK that I know off charge for parking apart from the Merlin, BPPB and Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach. With regards to BPPB and GYPB, if I don't like the charges, I can always go and park up the road for free and get a bit of exercise in the process. The fact that they also charge for blue-badge holders full price (bearing in mind you need to have mobility problems to have one) means that someone may not have the same option as other guest of parking up the road and walk to the theme park if they have mobility issues. The main problem with Alton, is you can't simply park up the road and walk to the theme park. It's in the middle of nowhere. With poor public transport in the area, which means you can't get to the park before the turnstiles open or leave after ride closure time, there is not really much of any other viable options.
 
The parking charge is also important for keeping per caps up. The park has becoming increasingly more aggressive with discounting, Sun vouchers and repeat passes like the season pass.

The parking charge ensures that there is an independent income stream that is largely unavoidable for guests unless they have opted to purchase one of the higher level passes or accommodation.
 
I parked at express parking for free two weeks ago, no staff in the new hut by the plaza and no barrier to check on exit.

I was willing to pay but there was no way to pay
 
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