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Cockhedge Centre - Parking - Be warned !


Dizzy

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Just a warning so none of you slip up and get landed with a £100 Parking penalty (fine)

There are NO LONGER barriers on the Cockhedge car park when entering/leaving.   It how has Automatic Number Plate Recognition Cameras.

The removal of the barriers may reduce the queues going in and out which is good and also 2 hours free parking for everyone without the need to spend in Asda and validate your ticket also seems good but today when I went there were a lot of very baffled and confused people stood around the machines.
There was a person on hand from the parking company to help explain how it now worked though.

First two hours id FREE and no need to get a ticket or even type you reg in providing you LEAVE before 2 hours.

Go over two hours and you DO have to put your reg in and pay and the amount to be paid depends on how much over you go. 

No for the stupid part !!   The machine DOES NOT TELL YOU how long you have been there for or how much you need to pay and the chap said it's the drivers responsibility to make a mental note of the time they drove in and through the cameras. 

I said I hadn't a clue as I had no watch on so how would I know how long I'd been there for.  He kindly told me what time it was but of course that wouldn't take account of the amount of time I'd spent driving round the car park.  (I had looked really as I stopped to take a photo of the little sign that was sellotaped to the old barrier post on the way in and noticed it said to look at the time :wink: )

Anyway plenty of signs up...not that anyone was understanding what to do.... but here's another question

If you get in your car to leave after say 1 hour 45 mins but then get stuck in a queue to get out which then takes you over the 2 free hours would it be advisable to stop as soon as you get to the exit camera, but before going through, and run back to pay £3 to avoid a £100 penalty.

I don't know where the exit cameras are on the Fennel Street exit as I went out the other way because there was a quueu and Fennel Street was at a standsctill due to high volume of traffic and the bloody stupid Cockhedge roundabout traffic lights.

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Don't think i have spent more than an hour and a half in town since they shut the odeon cinema. Mind you a couple of years back around this time of year i did spend the best part of an hour trying to find a parking space in cockhedge carpark so two hours seems about right. an hour to park and a hour to shop :lol: :lol:

 

Do wonder though if i will now have to pay when i go on the bike. used to bypass the barriers and then park it in the cycle park bit. could then have a good wander round and it would cost nothing. i usually use the short stay carpark if i am just going to asda or even to my bank. if i know i will be longer i use the market car park. both cost a pound with the market carpark giving you three hours for that.

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If your just doing a shop at ASDA, you can be out within an hour.

True Obs but a lot of people also look round all the other shops there so could go over 2 hours if they are slow shoppers,  I hope they keep an eye on the time and remember to pay before leaving if they are slightly over the 2 hours.

One good thing is that with the charges being so high after the 2 hours now it may stop people parking there then walking over into the town centre....which is what I was going to do yesterday after going to Argos and Asda :oops::lol:  I didn't though as I moved my car to the market car park instead and only paid £1.

 

I bet a lot of people will get caught out and fined in the run up to xmas though when their minds are on other things.

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Lets be honest, most , if not all , people who park on there go into town as well.( the ones going over the 2 hours).   I do.  Then I spend a fiver or so on stuff from ASDA on my way back  and get free town centre parking as there is always something I need to buy from there.

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I even heard of some cheeky so an so who would park there , do their shopping in town and then go into ASDA and pretend they didn't have what they wanted and get the card stamped without paying a penny lol.

Asda's has often been a bugger for never having what I wanted in stock although in my own defence I must point out that I have always paid the additional charge after the 2 free hours which was just over £1 if I remember rightly.   :oops:  :lol: 

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Can't say I use the place much but it does remind me of the system at the hospital, which I have used quite a bit.

 

What I find odd is that they have all the technology to know and record when you arrive and leave, but can't stretch to telling you how much you have to pay, acknowledge that you have paid, and then can't offer change. The one at the hospital relies on what looks like a hastily cobbled together piece of laminated A4 with some basic instructions.

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I agree Fugs especially re the fact that the stupid systems can't tell you how long you have been there for so you pay the correct due amount and that they don't give change.

The older machines at the market/golden square give change so why can't the others ?   Walton Gardens doesn't though and I felt conned the other week when I had to put £3.60 in when it's 'only' or was it £3.50 when it's 'only' £3.20...oooh brain freeze.  Either way I paid more than I had to then to make matters worse I noticed the blummin' sign which said the car park would close and be locked at 4.30pm.... I'd already put my money in and pressed the button and it was already 3.40pm  :(    My own fault for not realising though.... 

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