Parking Down By 8,000 At Country Parks

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  • #161646

    ChillDoubt
    Participant

    So today, via this website we have the confirmation that visitor figures are down by some 8,000 cars since the introduction of charges at local parks.
    Wrexham Council should have been in the trenches in WWI. You wouldn’t have needed to summon the courage to shoot yoursekf in the foot…..they’d have done it for you!
    Will they now have a rethink on what are on the whole maintenance free/minimal maintenance sites in order to encourage a return of visitors and dog walkers etc or will the idiocy continue unabated?

    #161653

    Bigbrother
    Participant

    Well the title is incorrect for a start, parking is not down by 8,000. Visitor numbers ARE down by 8,000, which tallies with the figures for the previous two quarters BEFORE parking charges were introduced also. Visitor numbers are down between 8,000 and 9,000 for EVERY quarter this year but don’t let facts get in the way of a story. What the headline should read is visitor numbers down 8,000 REGARDLESS of whether parking was payable or not.

    Interestingly, the figures show that in quarter 4 last year there were, on average, less than two people per car visiting the park. I’m making an assumption now that the cars with one person in are dog walkers, who in my experience don’t contribute anything to the park apart from leaving dog mess behind. I have no problem with dog walkers being charged for parking, or anyone else for that matter. The parks need to be paid for. I’m assuming they still have a cafe as I haven’t visited for about 3 years but isn’t/wasn’t it a council run cafe so all profits would go in to the council’s coffers to help with the upkeep of the parks. If people bought a drink or something on the way around perhaps charges wouldn’t have been introduced. There again, you never see a dog walker with a drink. Can’t have it all ways.

    #161655

    Wrexham ITK
    Participant

    Maybe they need to offer free parking to boost visitor numbers. The Parks are designed to improve the health and wellbeing of citizens.

    #161659

    ChillDoubt
    Participant

    What the headline should read is visitor numbers down 8,000 REGARDLESS of whether parking was payable or not.
    ———————
    But it states that the drop was expected as a result of the charges, so your paragraph in that respect is incorrect.

    #161674

    Bigbrother
    Participant

    Childoubt, digging a hole for yourself here. The numbers were down nearly 9,500 in a previous quarter when parking was FREE so what you and Wrexham ITK say doesn’t make sense. They were down AT LEAST 8,000 EVERY QUARTER.

    And rather than deflect the question and try to be clever do you agree with me that your headline of Parking Down By 8,000 is incorrect ?

    #161695

    WrexhamUser
    Participant

    As we know from the Wrexham town centre footfall counter the Wrexham County Borough Council’s research methodology tends to be pretty poor. I do wonder how they have constructed these figures. Unless they have a counter all day and every day on every route of entry and exit, the figures must be based on a statistical sample and model. Only after their research methodology is confirmed as robust, and the reliability of the statistics accepted is it worth contemplated why the figures have altered.

    #161697

    katy
    Participant

    When talking about ‘Long-term vision to create easy to use public rights of way’, the council state:
    “Providing access to greenspace, parks or the countryside through the rights of way network, for the majority of the local population, is an important part of the work of Wrexham County Borough Council.

    “It brings health benefits and is a relatively low cost way of gaining fresh air and exercise and improving mental well-being. Whether this is walking in a group, alone or with a dog, running, cycling or horse-riding, encouraging more people to take exercise is a key goal of the Welsh Government.

    “Fitter, healthier people reduce the strain on the National Health Service, which helps the economy.

    So why make people pay for the privilege of improving their mental health, fitness, and reducing the strain on the NHS. The councils own statement said they expected numbers of visitors to drop. Another example of unjoined up thinking of councillors looking for quick gains. How long will it be before they spend tens of thousands to pay a consultant to suggest how they can improve the health of Wrexham residents.

    #161698

    Ioan y Ffin
    Participant

    Traditionally Country Parks estimated the number of visitors by counting the number of cars parked and then multiplying that figure based on an ‘average number’ of persons per vehicle. Inevitably such figures were an estimate and possibly not a very accurate one at all. Obviously there will be fewer cars if parking is not free, but how are they counting the visitors now? They don’t have enough staff to monitor everyone coming and going. It is unlikely there are ‘clickers’ registering everyone who enters each country park? In short, it is dodgy data all round. Country Parks do cost money to maintain so it is only fair that those who use them contribute to their running costs; otherwise those that don’t use them have to contribute more.

    #161700

    Bigbrother
    Participant

    WrexhamUser, I believe that there are sensors that measure how many cars use the park/s.

    Katy, I presume that you and everyone else who is up in arms over this are dog walkers. I cannot see how a family who visit one of the parks in their car would be angry over a £1 charge as it works out at just 25p per person for a family of four, especially as it would cost a lot more than that in fuel to get there in the first place.
    Walking a dog twice a day, especially just a 20 minute walk, at a pound a go is going to mount up. Much cheaper to buy a season ticket but this would go against the grain.

    #161702

    ChillDoubt
    Participant

    And rather than deflect the question and try to be clever do you agree with me that your headline of Parking Down By 8,000 is incorrect ?
    —————————
    Frankly no, I don’t agree, it’s in line with the story posted on Wrexham.com

    As for trying to be clever, take it as you will but you really need to:
    A. Reel back the condescending manner.
    B. Ease off on the capitals(shouting doesn’t validate your argument, plus using the big letters doesn’t accentuate it either)and
    C. Take a chill pill and address your anger issues, it’s just a forum not Speakers Corner!

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