"AN HOURS FREE PARKING FOR SHOPPERS IN ALL THE TOWNS CAR PARKS"
Difficult to administer said some of us, "its a pledge and it will happen said the Tories".So on Thursday I parked in the Ridings car park and here is the sign (left) clearly stating £2.40 for 3 hours parking.
So in goes my hard earned cash and what comes out?
This!!!
From 15.24pm (bottom right) till 17.24 (top left) not 18.24 as expected and paid for.
So much for a free hour, it was at my expense! is this a forerunner to adding it back in to tell us we have got back for free what we had already? Malcolm Mildren reports to me a similar swindle in the Albion Place car park.
How many other citizens of Northampton have been short changed? or even worse issued with a parking ticket for overstaying when they thought they had paid their dues?
Answers please NBC
Is it now I say "told you so" or should I wait a little while?
ReplyDeleteNo you should tell someone else, my view at present is that they are all as bad as each other,
ReplyDeleteNow I know that we are totally agreeing with each other now... this will become a bad habit if you are not careful my friend.
ReplyDeleteYou learn were quickly when you have been this side of the fence that you politically folk are ALL the same.
And you learn to not believe the "hype" either!
Still, next election will be the same old; same old ~ more useless men & women who want you to believe they "love" the town and want to help...
And just when will we learn that they are "ALL" just in it for what they can get out of it?
Taken from the Borough Council, dated 7th June:
ReplyDeleteThe plans will mean shoppers and visitors will be able to park at St John's, St Michael's and the Mayorhold multi-storey car parks for up to an hour for free and the cost of parking for a second hour will be reduced by 25 per cent.
Under the proposals prices in other premier town centre car parks, including the Grosvenor Centre car park, will be also reduced by 25 per cent for the first two hours. Parking on Sundays will be free in all car parks.
Nowhere does it say parking will be free for the first hour in all Northampton car parks. As Your chpice of the Ridings, and Mr Mildren's choice of the Albion car parks are not listed in those above you will not benefit from the kind generosity of the Conservatives
Erm.... rather than moaning and bitching on a public website, have you actually thought about writing to those who are responsible for the machines and the fees and asking for either a) an explanantion or b) a refund?
ReplyDeleteIts very easy to bitch and moan and criticise, but i don't understand why its so hard to approach the situation head on and have open and transparent discussions. It may well be the Council were not aware of a faulty machine, and it was a genuine mistake and they would be grateful to you for pointing it out?
Anon, I am not bothered about my lost hour, I am making the point that these changes to the machines will not be simple and it wont all be good news, before if you parked beyond 6pm you could stay until 8am the next morning, now we have evening charges from 5pm and overnight charges to confuse us
ReplyDeletePatriot, Nor does it state anywhere that you pay for 3 hours but only get 2!
Now that I didn't know!!!
ReplyDeleteEvening charges after 5pm???
(oh poop)
Can you give me more information about this please Tony, or even tell me where to find it?
Thanks kindly mate.
Any one who has had a similar experience with car parking should write to N.B.C. Town Centre Operations, St John's Multi- storey car park. St John's Terrace, Northampton NN1 1 HA for the attention of Alan Craggs.
ReplyDeleteI was asked to investigate a ticket for Albion Place car park dated 20th April 2011 where the three hour fee of £2.40p was paid yet only two hours shown on ticket.
Thankfully the purcheser arrived back at their car with time to spare, so no penalty ticket issued. Clearly there is an problem with the capacity of the ticket machine's which needs to be addressed. I am sure however that to address this need there will be a cost and as the current administration has chosen to give one hours free car parking in the multi storey car parks then I will not hold my breath waiting for this issue to be resolved soon.
Nicky, try looking at the picture!
ReplyDeleteYes dear, I did that...
ReplyDeleteBut ~ and I get it is probably because I am stupid and you are the clever one ~ I could not understand just what it would charge me for.
Does it mean £1 for that entire time?
What about the overnight charge? £2.50 for the same time frame?
Does it mean that price per hour?
Also... is that just the carparks you and Malcolm go to? What about parking on the streets? What about other carparks?
Sorry I am not as smart as you, but it matters ~ even if I cannot drive ~ about the parking; now more so than ever.
It means you pay a £1 from 5pm till 11.59pm or you pay £2.50 from 5pm to 10am the next morning, but if you pay your initial £1 but then have to leave it there overnight you have to go back and put £2.50 in
ReplyDeleteMP one of the first 'victims'
ReplyDeleteby Paul Jeeves Chief Reporter
Chronicle & Echo Tuesday July 10 2001.
MP Tony Clarke was one of the first to be caught in Northampton's parking blitz, despite stepping in at the 11th hour to put the scheme in place.
A parking hit squad showed no remorse when they discovered a ticket had expired on Mr. Clarke's burgundy mercedes. They slapped a fine on the windscreen less than two hours after the new regulations came into force.
The MP for Northampton South yesterday revealed he had been left without enough change because he had not realised that fees had been bumped up at The Ridings car park where he left his car last Monday.
While he paid for an hour's parking, a meeting with a constituent in his St Giles Terrace offices delayed Mr Clarke by 15 minutes.
The MP, who cut his £60 fine in half by paying on the day, said: "I know the new parking scheme is going to be unpopular and there will be some teething problems, but if you outstay your welcome you are going to be fined
"There are some bonuses. People will be able to come into town and find a parking space a lot easier for the small charge.
"most of the major towns and cities in the Midlands, if not the country, have introduced on-street parking schemes. It was only a matter of time before something similar happened here.
"But it should not be seen as a money-making venture. The council needs to keep a close check on the number of people coming into Northampton."
Mr Clarke was instrumental in ensuring the Transfer of Parking Powers scheme (TOPPs) came into force after he was contacted by borough council officers on the day Parliament was dissolved.
If Mr Clarke had not managed to get the approval of Transport Minister, Keith Hill, TOPPs would have been delayed.
Anon, we have been here before if I remember? Yes I helped NBC out 10 years ago to get a scheme for transferring parking powers to the council through parliament.
ReplyDeleteYes I got a ticket, and have had many more since, but since then the Borough Council (fools) have handed over most of those powers to the County Council who have since sub let the admin to a private company in Worthing!, and we now have wardens roaming the streets until 1am in the morning dishing out tickets en masse earning NCC over £1m a year in revenue, meanwhile NBC fiddles with the car park pricing to little effect rather than taking over all control of parking in the Borough which is what I supported back in 2001.
Anyway watch this space on car parking, I have some very interesting news coming soon!
digging up an old thread but you had not paid the correct tariff as you had not included the charge for parking after 5pm.
ReplyDeleteYou parked at 15:24 and it was your intent to park for 3 hours, however as shown on the tariff chart the £2.40 tariff is listed under the tariffs in effect from 8am to 5pm so the machine will only honour to the earlest complete hour after 5pm, so you needed to pay 2 standard hours at £1.60 (15:24 to 16:24 / 16:24 to 17:24) and then the £1 tariff as shown as in effect from 17:00
After 5pm the evening and overnight tariffs only are available. So you should have paid £1.60 for 2 hours upto 17:24 and a £1 as the tariff in effect after 5pm so a total of £2.60, you were 20p short.
Crikey, with logic like that you must work for Parking Services! The sign above shows that the evening charge as you say applies from 5pm so by accepting my £2.40 for parking after 5pm (until 17.54) then the precedent is set for extension beyond the 5pm cut off. As you identify if it was only £1.60 for up to 2 hours then the machine should only issue tickets for the services available. Whichever way around the logic the Council are still ripping people off who park before 5pm but have to pay the night charge if they are even a minute late. Which I guess proves my point that the Councils "Hours free parking" only loads the cost onto shoppers at the end of the day.
ReplyDelete