The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

zagubov

chris_m wrote: »

I know what you mean, it's extortionate up here in the Lakes too. The worst of it is that the car parks are all operated by different organisations (County Council, local Council, National Park Authority, National Trust, United Utilities, Lowther Estate, probably Forestry Commission) so there's no "joined-up" thinking options available.
If you're touring around and only staying in one place for a short time it's dreadfully expensive when it's all totted up, £3 here, and other £3 there, £3.50 at the next, etc., etc. I dare say they'll soon add a premium too, because we're now a World Heritage Site.

Luckily, most of the car parks I want to use are National Trust and free to members - which is why I joined in the first place

In comparison, I was over in North Yorkshire or Northumberland, (can't remember which, all can remember is that it was one of the two) some years ago and all the car parks were operated by the same authority - so they had a flexible ticketing arrangement, where you buy one for, say four hours, and it's valid in any and all of their car parks until the four hours expires. Great if you're touring around because you just pay the once and move around at will.

Western Scotland (and the Western Isles in particular) are even better - loads of car parks and hardly any charges at all.

I don't understand why we need to gouge money out of people in areas where land is cheap so parking costs the car park owner little. In a city centre, by all means, that's different.

LydiaJ wrote: »

"Elsewhere" doesn't seem to be working.

Are you using chrome? Some sites are going blank to me when they're working OK on e.g Opera.

LydiaJ

silvercar wrote: »

Working fine for me. I've sent you a link in case you were going to the old home, before we moved.

Duh! Yes, that's what happened. I'm having some trouble with my laptop ATM - it won't talk to its charger - so I'm temporarily using my old laptop, which had the old "elsewhere" on its favourites bar. Thanks. I've updated the link now, so I shan't make that mistake again even if I am using this machine.

Tahlullah wrote: »

Lovely dress Sue.

Yes, it's beautiful.

GDB2222

I seem to be waking up earlier and earlier, but this is silly! Time to go back to sleep, with a bit of luck.

chris_m

zagubov wrote: »

I don't understand why we need to gouge money out of people in areas where land is cheap so parking costs the car park owner little. In a city centre, by all means, that's different.

Indeed - there were two car parks in the Lakes, on land owned by IIRC the Lowther Estate and leased to the National Trust, who charged about £3 per day to park, using an honesty box.

Then one day, the old chap died and the inheritor looked at the estate and realised that the lease for these car parks had expired years before but the old chap hadn't been bothered about it provided the NT kept paying the same as before. They drew up a new lease with a huge increase in the cost which the NT couldn't justify paying, so they quit.

The following week, ticket machines went in with some really extortionate charges - and the car parks stayed largely empty for the next year. They only got enough people to use them by dropping the charges by around 50% IIRC, still pretty high but not quite so extortionate. I still don't use those two car parks.

PasturesNew

The trouble is that car parks and businesses are separate... and the land owner is cashing in on people who want to buy stuff - to the detriment of those selling things.

If the Council owned all the car parks they'd probably be able to reduce their overheads and costs of running them if they made them free and upped the business rates - and the businesses wouldn't mind the rates being a bit higher as they'd have more sales/a higher footfall.

Yes it's important for people to "make money", but it's all too much.

I'd rather pay 50p all day on a grassy knoll than £2-3/hour on tarmac with white lines painted, hi-tech payment machines, signage, warnings, bins, lighting and a parking warden patrolling.

There are no NT properties anywhere near me, so no benefit to joining for the car parks.

Many people say out of town shopping places are killing High Streets...I say parking charges are killing High Streets because it's stressful having to have the right coins and predict how long you'll be parking for - and then keeping your eye on the clock while shopping ... fearing a fine. When, instead, you can park at out of town places for free and go round shops and get stuff and load up the car just 50 yards away.... if you've got a car of course! They're making cars/running pricier too with every year.

My local town started a "£1 for 2 hours" thing about a year ago - it seems to still be running like that. I don't mind £1 if I feel I have a genuine need/desire to go into town for something, but I'd not randomly wake up and think "I'll go wander round the shops to see what they've got" and have to pay £1 "in case" I buy something.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

LydiaJ wrote: »

"Elsewhere" doesn't seem to be working.

It's working.

Speaking of which - an update from the very southern point of outer-Herts awaits the NP over there.

ivyleaf

Thanks for that, Hamish. Much appreciated:)

LydiaJ

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

It's working.

Speaking of which - an update from the very southern point of outer-Herts awaits the NP over there.

Yes, I got onto it now. The problem was that my current laptop is out of action ATM, so I'm using my old one, which had the old "elsewhere" on its favourites bar. Hope all is well with you, Hamish. :hello:

Pyxis

ivyleaf wrote: »

I forgot to say that the dog hit the ball back to him with its nose Not with a paw!

And there was me thinking it had used a racquet!

ivyleaf

Pyxis wrote: »

And there was me thinking it had used a racquet!

What a wonderful mental picture I was surprised it could bat it with its nose for so long though, you'd think it would hurt! Mind you, I've never had a dog and have no idea how sensitive their noses are.