Vent...No pick up area at stations!

knightstyle

So train stations now have drop off areas and pay by the day parking bays but nowhere to pick up arrivals and their luggage!
I had to pick up in a taxi rank and was warned by a friendly taxi driver not to as there were cameras covering the area.
Stopped for 3 mins and no penalty YET!

Bradden

Coud you not use the drop off area to also pick up?

Albermarle

In my job I used to pick up colleagues from various City stations across the UK. Each one had different arrangements for pick up etc, and it paid to do a bit of research first.
I remember Reading ( although not actually a city I know )being very tricky, especially after it was modernised. On the other hand another City station, Derby, had a small car park near the entrance 50p for 30 mins. Plus many variations inbetween at other stations.

sheramber

What station were you at?

Stations in my area have 'pick up/drop off' areas.

knightstyle

We recently moved to Grantham and have picked up several times, plus used Retford in the past, both have no pick up area.
Drop off zones have warnings Drop off ONLY 

Manxman_in_exile

Have you asked the station management to justify the logic of having only a "drop off" area and not a "pick up" area?

I suspect it might be because drop off will usually take no more than half a minute or so as you decide whan you will drop off and it can be done virtually immediately, whereas pick up time might depend on train delays etc (unless you know your passengers are there ready to be picked up) and the station authorities don't want a potential backlog of delayed pick ups blocking the station forecourt.

Our local station has a short stay car park that is free for 20 minutes and which I presume is intended for pick ups, but if your arriving train is delayed by more than 20 minutes you are stuck...

AmberDepp

Manxman_in_exile said:

Have you asked the station management to justify the logic of having only a "drop off" area and not a "pick up" area?

I suspect it might be because drop off will usually take no more than half a minute or so as you decide whan you will drop off and it can be done virtually immediately, whereas pick up time might depend on train delays etc (unless you know your passengers are there ready to be picked up) and the station authorities don't want a potential backlog of delayed pick ups blocking the station forecourt.

Our local station has a short stay car park that is free for 20 minutes and which I presume is intended for pick ups, but if your arriving train is delayed by more than 20 minutes you are stuck...

Well yes, quite.

The problem is going to be that drop-offs are in and out in 30-secs to a minute.  Pickups are not.

Most airports charge similar prices for drop-offs to pick-ups, but pick-ups go in a car park rather than being out front.
I appreciate that an airport is not a train station, but it's likely the same principles apply (if slightly weighted more towards pick-ups than a train station.)