Want to be fair to the public - Advice needed

thehullram

As previously stated we have no where to put a barrier as we are right next to the main road. Any barrier system will cause further queues onto the main road, the council would not allow a barrier to be put in place. Our members use their car park passes and so I don't think many of them would fall foul to the ppcs, however, all they want is the issue sorting so that non memebrs are not using the private car park they pay to use.

SodG24

thehullram wrote: »

Our members use their car park passes and so I don't think many of them would fall foul to the ppcs,

Oh so naive !!!! I used a local swimming pool where you had to give them your registration so that the PPC wouldn't "ticket" you. I did this and guess what ? Still got threats etc from G24 !!!!!!!!

If you allow a PPC to patrol your car park and they take the money then you WILL have members that get invoices.

The self ticketing idea from Give Them FA seems a sensible approach.

Half_way

You could get some fake parking tickets as sold in some joke shops, and add a note explainingthat the car park is for customers only, couple that with a few signs saying parking tickets may be issued, parking for customers only, and that should have a deterent effect.

interstellaflyer

thehullram wrote: »

Our members use their car park passes and so I don't think many of them would fall foul to the ppcs

Hmm, these people are leaches, they are without any morals at all when it comes to making money, if they are on a slow day they may well ticket members cars, claiming they wern't displaying their permit, I'd be very carefull. The option given by givethem FA works to a degree, we used to self ticket at a company I worked for, it will only work as a deterant though, to those who have a conscience, just about everyone else just won't give a toss, because they know they don't have to pay the ticket.

peter_the_piper

Maybe invest in a clamp or two to put on approving members cars, yellow has quite a deterrant effect.

interstellaflyer

peter_the_piper wrote: »

Maybe invest in a clamp or two to put on approving members cars, yellow has quite a deterrant effect.

I suppose as it's private land there's nothing stopping you putting up a few warning signs and fake clamping a staff members vehicle in a visable position.

ManxRed

What about clamping offenders but not charging for release? Just the inconvenience of having to call someone out to remove the clamp? Doesn't this get around the SIA licence thing as well? You only need a licence to apply/release clamps in exchange for a release fee? Or have I got that wrong?

muckybutt

Instead of one barrier at the entrance why not go down the route of individual space barriers ? get them keyed alike so one key fits all then issue members with a key.

HO87

thehullram wrote: »

Our members use their car park passes and so I don't think many of them would fall foul to the ppcs, however, all they want is the issue sorting so that non memebrs are not using the private car park they pay to use.

One presumes that the site has not shrunk since the business started at the location? If this is the case then surely it was always going to be somewhat overambitious to offer free parking to members without adding a rider that it was subject to availability. And if there is such a rider, where is the problem? By the same token, as a member, anyone who joins an establishment with a very limited car park and expects to be able to park in it when using the club at a time of day when it is at its busiest is being as unrealistic as perhaps the company was overambitious in offering free parking in the first instance?

If, as you suggest, the greatest problem is in the late afternoon/early evening when you are busiest then by definition the problem is self-limiting. If there are no spaces for members then there cannot be any spaces for non-members either.

With respect, if you believe that a car park pass is going to be the cure-all against private parking tickets then I'd recommend that you read through some of the thousands of threads on here where it is made amply clear that such passes are no such thing.

What happens on the day that members have to use the other half's/brother's/mother's car, or the courtesy car from the garage, or have just had their windscreen replaced, or forget to display this year's pass or don't receive it because it's lost in the post or it simply falls off, or their car is stolen? What about people who call in to enquire about membership or to apply for jobs? What about someone who forges a car pass? And your members are all vested with the ability to detect that none of these situations apply or are they simply knee-jerking it?

It might be very easy to try and stand behind the statement "If you don't have your pass you'll get a ticket" but that won't stop your members getting tickets and will only increase your complaints.

Almost certainly the complaints are at their highest when you are busiest. This is simply a function of a car park that at best can accommodate only 5% of you membership not any extensive abuse. Whilst I can understand that you don't want to lose members you need to make it clear that parking is limited. If people become so cheesed off that they move down the road to Nuffield, or whoever, because they have a larger car park then that's their choice. With a small car park that was always going to be a risk to your business. Start ticketing - and charging people a reasonable proportion of their membership for having to use a courtesy car - and you are far more likely to push people away.

To militate against this why not concentrate on membership drives focused on housewives and pensioners who can come in at non-core times?

JimmyTheWig

thehullram wrote: »

Our members use their car park passes and so I don't think many of them would fall foul to the ppcs

OP, you came on here saying that you wanted the benefit of people's knowledge who know more about this than you.
These people are saying that the PPCs will target your members as well as non-members.
This is the knowledge you were looking for. Up to you whether you accept it or not, but seems a bit silly to come on here and then ignore what you are told.

As previously stated we have no where to put a barrier as we are right next to the main road. Any barrier system will cause further queues onto the main road, the council would not allow a barrier to be put in place.

We stayed at a Travelodge a while ago where they had an "exit via token" scheme.
Can't remember if entry was via an automatic barrier or one of those things on the ground where you can only go one way. Then you picked up a token from reception which you put in the machine at the barrier to get out.
This wouldn't cause delays on the main road, but would be a great deterent.
Depending on how abused the system was you could have a pot of tokens on the desk at reception where members can just pick one up on their way out (chances are non-members wouldn't have the guts to come in and take one) or have them behind the desk so you have to ask for one, etc. You could charge non-members £10, say, for a token. Or get the receptionist to tell them that they aren't authorised to give tokens to non-members and they'll have to wait for a manager - who might (what a shame!) take 20 minutes to be available. Bet that would cut down on the problems.

Variations on the theme would be a swipe-card on exit system, pin code to exit (though as has been said members could tell friends and ex-members could still use it) or the receptionist could have a button to open the barrier on a videophone type thing.