Parking in Newbury Town Centre, ...pricing workers out? Options

[wabbit]

Does anyone (with any authority) have any idea how much car parking charges are likely to be in the new Parkway shopping centre car park?
As WBC have a virtual monopoly on car parking in town and are able to command an extortionate £1 an hour for almost all car parks (daytime), is there any chance that Parkway parking may be priced more (ahem!) competitively?
A friend recently wanted to apply for a job in one of the new shops in Parkway but found that, on minimum pay (which most retail jobs are now) of £5.93 an hour, paying out £1 an hour to park would have made a huge dent in her income and made the job unaffordable. She does not, by the way, live on a bus route.
Of course, most workers in Newbury have to scramble for (free) parking in residential roads where they can but this really is unsatisfactory and, having read that the new Parkway homes don't even have one allocated parking space per home, this will further exacerbate the problem.
I'm hoping that Parkway parking is 'private' and nothing to do with WBC because it does seem that they are happy to price workers (and increasingly, shoppers) out of the town.
Newbury needs shops, Newbury needs shoppers and Newbury needs shopworkers...
Anyone from WBC care to comment?

[spartacus]

She might not live on a bus route, but why doesn't she do what the Vodafone lot reportedly do and drive to a bus route in a residential area near her home (or the potential place of work), park for free and jump on a bus for a couple of stops to the town centre? Cheaper than paying all day parking. (She won't qualify for the Vodafone 'bus bounty' btw .....which many of them probably still fraudulently do)

The trouble is, some people forget that they actually have LEGS.... AND what's more - you can use them for WALKING! (Amazing innit...)

Why not park up in Westfields area? It's only a relatively short walk into town and according to Tony Vickers it's a favoured spot for regular commuter parking Parking's terrible here.... (Honest. It is....).

If not Westfields there's PLENTY of free parking space available around the outskirts of any town if you're prepared to walk just a few hundred metres.

Shop workers need to adopt the same mindset that any regular rail commuter has. Either pay through the nose for the convenience of parking close by, or wear some sensible shoes and walk a hundred metres every day. Shop workers aren't generally weighed down with lots of stuff to carry so what's the problem?

If much of the parking close to the shops is taken up by the workers (parking there all day) then it limits the availability for the shoppers to park. They're the ones who need to park close by as they will be carrying shopping.



Newbury needs shops, Newbury needs shoppers, Newbury needs shopworkers..... but they DO NOT need to have their car clogging up the parking spaces just by the shop entrances

[Andy Capp]

Shop workers need to adopt the same mindset that any regular rail commuter has. Either pay through the nose for the convenience of parking close by, or wear some sensible shoes and walk a hundred metres every day. Shop workers aren't generally weighed down with lots of stuff to carry so what's the problem?

Of course it is a problem. On top of that, shop assistants have to be careful with their appearance and the weather is not always kind.

[blackdog]

I expect Parkway will charge the same, or more, than the WBC car parks. They do need to raise over £300k a year as that is the sum due to be handed over to WBC as part of the deal that saw SLI buy loads of WBC land for £1.

[spartacus]

On top of that, shop assistants have to be careful with their appearance and the weather is not always kind.

Gimme strength...... There's things you can buy nowadays.. called 'raincoats' and 'umbrellas'.... and in extreme weather Wellington Boots can be worn (they're not JUST sold for the music festival crowd y'know)

Perhaps the shop they're hoping to work in, sells the stuff..... They might even get a Staff Discount....

[NewburyP]

Two sides of an argument above that always raises tensions. The long term solution is to develop a park and ride scheme for town centre workers and long stay visitors, leaving the spaces close to the shops for short stay customer parking. Park and rides are a much cheaper way to park all day.

As an aside, WBC does sell parking season tickets for some town centre car parks which is cheaper way for workers to park.

[Andy Capp]

Gimme strength...... There's things you can buy nowadays.. called 'raincoats' and 'umbrellas'.... and in extreme weather Wellington Boots can be worn (they're not JUST sold for the music festival crowd y'know)

Perhaps the shop they're hoping to work in, sells the stuff..... They might even get a Staff Discount....

Great way to start the day. Stinking from the sweat of running to work because you couldn't get parked and you got caught by the changeable weather.

[spartacus]

Great way to start the day. Stinking from the sweat of running to work because you couldn't get parked and you got caught by the changeable weather.

It depends..... If it's one of those shop-workers on minimum wage you're so concerned about then they probably think they work in a sweat-shop anyway - so they'd be getting into character....

[spartacus]

The long term solution is to develop a park and ride scheme for town centre workers and long stay visitors, leaving the spaces close to the shops for short stay customer parking.

No need to go to the expense of developing a Park & Ride. One already exists if you just park up in a residential street on a bus route.


And a Park & Ride could never really be justified in a town as small as Newbury.

[Andy Capp]

It depends..... If it's one of those shop-workers on minimum wage you're so concerned about then they probably think they work in a sweat-shop anyway - so they'd be getting into character....

So within your apparent uncaring stance, you see the point then.

[wabbit]

Gimme strength...... There's things you can buy nowadays.. called 'raincoats' and 'umbrellas'.... and in extreme weather Wellington Boots can be worn (they're not JUST sold for the music festival crowd y'know)

Perhaps the shop they're hoping to work in, sells the stuff..... They might even get a Staff Discount....

Ever the optimist, I guess I should have expected this kind of reply from one or two of the forum regulars - which is why I was trying to appeal to someone 'in the know' to answer a direct question about parking costs.

I really wasn't looking for a lecture on approprate all-weather attire, reminders about attached limbs or sarcastic digs at unscrupulous Vodafone staff. Some of us (my friend included) - who, incidentally, lives in a village poorly served by public transport and not just a 'brisk stroll' into town, was wanting to apply for a customer-facing role for a fashion retailer. The 'drowned rat' look is not really 'fashion-forward', is it?

As for parking up in a 'residential road' on a bus route - would it be ok then if shopworkers park outside your house all day? Why wouldn't Park & Ride be justified in Newbury?

[spartacus]

As for parking up in a 'residential road' on a bus route - would it be ok then if shopworkers park outside your house all day?

I don't see why not. I commute away from the area most days so it makes sense to use it.... Just because it's outside my house doesn't make it my road does it... In most residential streets the residents can actually park off-street anyway so they shouldn't get all flustered and upset about it.

(One small caveat would be if these residential streets had grass verges and the commuters insisted on mounting them and churning them up.... But there are ways and means of 'encouraging' such 'inconsiderates' to move along the road.......... )

[Biker1]

Commuters park in Newtown Road every working day and clog it up!
Only a single lane of traffic can pass while those coming the other way have to wait.

[Andy Capp]

I heard parking will be more expensive in Parkway than anywhere else in town and there is not enough parking for the homes there, so this could lead to more pressure on other car parks.

[Sidney]

Ever the optimist, I guess I should have expected this kind of reply from one or two of the forum regulars - which is why I was trying to appeal to someone 'in the know' to answer a direct question about parking costs.

I really wasn't looking for a lecture on approprate all-weather attire, reminders about attached limbs or sarcastic digs at unscrupulous Vodafone staff. Some of us (my friend included) - who, incidentally, lives in a village poorly served by public transport and not just a 'brisk stroll' into town, was wanting to apply for a customer-facing role for a fashion retailer. The 'drowned rat' look is not really 'fashion-forward', is it?

As for parking up in a 'residential road' on a bus route - would it be ok then if shopworkers park outside your house all day? Why wouldn't Park & Ride be justified in Newbury?

Sypathise totally - I do a 5 hour shift and it costs me £7 a day to park. By the time I have taken the kids to school, driving is the only option. I have 15 minutes to travel 5 miles and there are no suitable buses at the right time.

[blackdog]

I heard parking will be more expensive in Parkway than anywhere else in town and there is not enough parking for the homes there, so this could lead to more pressure on other car parks.

It seems to be true that Parkway will be more expensive than the WBC parks - which is good news for council tax payers. WBC parks raise a significant sum (mainly spent on Green Meanies) - if Parkway were to be cheaper the WBC parking income would fall and the difference would have to be made up from council tax.

[Dollie]

Can you tell me why you can park practically for free in Thatcham and in Newbury you have to pay?

[gel]

I recall that WBC staff can park for free on Council premises, and they do begrudingly
extend to their taxpayers at Xmas
So increasing charges don't affect those imposing.
Gather perk extends to Councillors too.
Pay & display machines have one button for residents & one for 'foreigners';
presume resident ticket is valid when disppalyed alongside a resident permit.

[JeffG]

Shouldn't the subtitle to this thread be "pricing shoppers out"?

[Andy Capp]

Shouldn't the subtitle to this thread be "pricing shoppers out"?

I doubt it. there will always be people with more money than sense.