GJMarshy
TS Member
@Kraken27
Thanks for expanding on that! Yes I remember the issue with the Ropers well, I had no idea the family behind JCB have had such a long-standing feud with Towers.
There is a problem though that we need to solve, and it’s in AT, JCB, and the general publics interest.
A) Traffic congestion through Alton and the surrounding country lanes is unacceptable no matter how you slice it. The carbon & noise pollution from such traffic is damaging.
B) The park misses out on a large customer base who don’t own a car, as they have no need for one. People who live in cities such as Manchester where public transport is (mostly) very good, cannot visit the park. Government and planning reform is actively dis-incentivising car-dependency, so in the coming years we can expect fewer people to own and run cars.
C) Land usage.. The surface car park is almost as big as the park itself, and is an incredible waste of space for land which could be used for park and resort expansion. If less people drive, less parking is required, and that land can be better used. OR you move parking facilities to a location closer to a main road where access it better.
D) The monorail is on its last legs, and most people walk now anyway. It’s expensive for the park to operate, and the most cost-efficient alternative is a shuttle bus. If that’s the case, why not have it shuttle guests from a combined P&R facility and railway station such as Uttoxeter.
I realise transport accessibility is fairly dry stuff to talk about, but it does need addressing. The park does need to adapt to the changing demographic and environmental concerns. It also has huge markets of people who currently can’t access it.
Thanks for expanding on that! Yes I remember the issue with the Ropers well, I had no idea the family behind JCB have had such a long-standing feud with Towers.
There is a problem though that we need to solve, and it’s in AT, JCB, and the general publics interest.
A) Traffic congestion through Alton and the surrounding country lanes is unacceptable no matter how you slice it. The carbon & noise pollution from such traffic is damaging.
B) The park misses out on a large customer base who don’t own a car, as they have no need for one. People who live in cities such as Manchester where public transport is (mostly) very good, cannot visit the park. Government and planning reform is actively dis-incentivising car-dependency, so in the coming years we can expect fewer people to own and run cars.
C) Land usage.. The surface car park is almost as big as the park itself, and is an incredible waste of space for land which could be used for park and resort expansion. If less people drive, less parking is required, and that land can be better used. OR you move parking facilities to a location closer to a main road where access it better.
D) The monorail is on its last legs, and most people walk now anyway. It’s expensive for the park to operate, and the most cost-efficient alternative is a shuttle bus. If that’s the case, why not have it shuttle guests from a combined P&R facility and railway station such as Uttoxeter.
I realise transport accessibility is fairly dry stuff to talk about, but it does need addressing. The park does need to adapt to the changing demographic and environmental concerns. It also has huge markets of people who currently can’t access it.