When will car parks in the UK offering parking near entertainment venues like theatres and music venues start preparing for a surge in departures at the end of advertised events? I’ve lost count of the times venues can’t cope and you’re stuck in a long traffic jam trying to leave. This year alone I’ve experienced similar issues in Leicester, Resorts World Birmingham and Northampton.
Problems include out-of-order ticket machines making payment difficult and customers having payment problems at the exit. This then leads to long queues and traffic congestion if payment issues arise, and many frustrated drivers.
Tonight I attempted to pay my parking ticket before going to my car to leave but two machines simply displayed “Pay On Exit”. This instantly made me realise it would be a fun experience departing. Two barriers were taking customer payments on departure and one lane experienced a driver experiencing payment problems, creating a long queue of traffic.
My problem isn’t with the individual struggling to pay but the car park itself. It’s baffling why a parking attendant isn’t on duty and measures taken to keep traffic flowing. Surely car parks in these locations should be monitoring nearby venues to monitor when expected surges in departures are expected.
My problem is this isn’t the first time this has happened in the same car park and it’s happened in two other large car parks as well this year. It seems like a widespread problem in all car parks.
Why accept payments at the barriers? A crazy idea as you’ll always encounter issues. It’s baffling why car parks can’t have enough working payment stations and a decent number.
