Want to be fair to the public - Advice needed

HO87

@OP - Presumably the Board don't want to spend very much on the scheme?

With only 45 spaces and a membership of 1800 one would think that members not being able to park was a fairly frequent occurrence. Do you have a policy as to who gets to park first? Where do the overspill from your car park put their cars if they can't get into the car park? How frequently does the problem of members not being able to park actually arise?

Without knowing the layout, access, proximity to the road and details of any planning restrictions that may be relevant its rather difficult to be entirely constructive without simply setting out a list of obvious suggestions. I would respectfully suggest, however, that when it comes to securing property - because that is what we we are talking about here - many, many people are entirely too willing to sacrifice security for convenience and at that point it ain't secure any more!

A private parking company (PPC) will be interested in only one thing - because that is how they make their money - ticketing or clamping cars. Either that or you will have to pay for them. That will entail an ongoing charge whereas a barrier or gate is a one off capital expense. Between you and a PPC/clamper, you will come up with schemes in an effort to avoid ticketing/clamping members but sure as eggs are eggs that is who you will end up hitting at some point. Members might get hacked off at not being able to park but if they pick up a £90 ticket or, worse still, a clamp they will be even more hacked off.

If the board want to secure the car park against intrusion by those who have no right to be there then you have to secure it. That means either having someone at the entrance or having the means to control access by another means - a lockable barrier or gate. Anything else is going to be a compromise which will mean that those who aren't entitled will still get away with it from time to time and your members will get hit, from time to time.

newbutold

My local sports club charges for parking, however if you are a member you get the fee refunded by bringing in the receipt section of the display ticket.

I would try putting signs up saying non members will be ticketed/fined. It should put a lot people of parking there, even if you have no plans to ticket.

Rolandtheroadie

The_Slithy_Tove wrote: »

2 or 3 of them stuck over the driver's side of the windscreen is a real nuisance, yet the driver can hardly claim it's unfair.

Asked a policeman about this years ago as I had one placed on my drivers side door window.

The reply I got was as long as it wasnt on the windscreen, they were entitled to do it.

thehullram

Thanks for all your responses. In reply to some of the questions asked.

We are at the side of a busy road which during various times has a bus lane in operation meaning that parking on this road is out of the question between 4 & 6.30pm (our busy times).

There is a constant queue of traffic outside the Club that the council is trying to deal with, any incoming / outgoing barrier is out of the question as this would increase the problems with the queing traffic on the main road.

I have worked at places before that have used the sticker option, but I do know that the company I worked for got taken to court for criminal damage and the insurance company paid out.

Pay & display is a possibility, but this would lead to a big inconveinience for the members and we would also have to employ additional staff to cope with 'refunding' every member that comes into the Club.

Any other options that anyone can advise? At the moment I can't see any alternative to getting a private company in to monitor the car park.

Thanks

FatAndy

peter_the_piper wrote: »

Status Quo not really an option.

They could set up a loud speaker in the car park and play their CDs on a continous loop. That would keep people away.

SodG24

thehullram wrote: »

Any other options that anyone can advise? At the moment I can't see any alternative to getting a private company in to monitor the car park.

Thanks

I appreciate you have an issue but how many members do you lose due to lack of parking ? Then weigh that figure against how many you could lose when some of your members get a "ticket".

How are you going to identify members cars over any other cars ? Remember whatever scam company you employ won't have someone on site all the time so they won't necessarily see if someone enters your gym or goes shopping.

HO87

Where do your members who cannot park because the car park is full go?

thehullram

They have to pay for parking on local streets or park 1/2 mile away for free. All memebrs receive a car park pass that they display in their window when at the Club. They can therefore see how many non memebrs are parked in the car park at any time.

I am sure you can appreciate the frustration of paying a large memebrship fee and then not being able to park in the car park due to the abuse the car park gets from non members

bondy_lad

what about the barrier idea? no option but to use ppcs,,you will then be soon out of a job because they WILL target your members, and they will leave in droves, they are ruthless, all they want is MONEY.

give_them_FA

The main complaint that we see on here is the fact that a PPC doesn't actually give a damn about the job it is hired to do, all it is actually interested in is making money, and it either does that by charging you, or by generating its income issuing tickets. If the latter, that means that they are unfussy whether they descend upon friend or foe, and you will get a steady stream of your members being given tickets on some pretext or other. This may thin down your membership base; whilst that may reduce the parking problems, I doubt it is the way you want to do it!

I think that you could try this as a possible solution.

You could try for the "self-ticketing" options now being advertised. This involves you yourselves issuing the tickets, taking photos, etc, and passing these to the PPC who then simply handles the job of following up by writing to the car owner.

This puts YOU in control, not the sort of mindless moronic drone the PPCs themselves usually use; meaning that you can make sure the car really is an interloper before issuing a charge, so as not to upset your membership.

Be warned that (as we are trying our darndest to achieve!), no system of this type is sure, under present laws, to work; if people realise they don't have to pay they won't pay! but at least you would have much better control over what was done instead of having a self-interested parasite running riot in your car park.

Ultimately the only certain method is a physical barrier, but if you are sure that isn't a workable option here, then at least the above is in my view feasible.