Bristol: Airport Parking

[superking]

Chaos around airport yesterday with the drop off zone. There was protests about the price of parking for the drop off zone,and cars could not get out of park which resulted in some drivers charged £20 to get out . there was a lot of bad feeling and tempers. Looks like the airport will have to sort out this problem.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Chaos around airport yesterday with the drop off zone. There was protests about the price of parking for the drop off zone,and cars could not get out of park which resulted in some drivers charged £20 to get out . there was a lot of bad feeling and tempers. Looks like the airport will have to sort out this problem.

I heard the item on BBC Radio Bristol yesterday morning. One motorist was interviewed who described the chaos. Unfortunately, the interviewer clearly had no idea where the Drop and Go Park is located at the airport and the interviewee had to explain.

There was no suggestion in the interview that I could glean that the barriers were faulty. The motorist kept saying that people were so frustrated at being charged more than the ten-minute £3 fee that queues built up as a result with, according to him, some people facing a £20 charge which is the fee for 40 minutes or more. He also said there were over a hundred cars waiting to get out and this was preventing other cars entering the park.

The motorist said there were no staff members present so he rang the airport from his car. According to him the switchboard operator said they would contact security. By then there was a cacophony of car horns sounded by the frustrated motorists in an attempt to attract airport attention.

Eventually, a staff member did attend and the barriers were raised to allow everyone out (free of charge I presume).

Funnily enough, when asked by the interviewer what he thought of the base fee of £3 that was recently raised from £1, the motorist didn't seem too bothered about that. The BBC interviewer said she objected to having to pay to drop people off.

The airport declined to put up anyone for interview but issued a written statement to the BBC saying they were aware that for a period on Sunday there was heavy traffic in the Drop and Go park and they apologised to anyone if inconvenience was caused. By the sound of it a lot of inconvenience was caused to a lot of people.

I think it's poor PR to refuse to face up and resort to hiding behind a written statement. Organisations often do this but frequently there are legal reasons for their action. I can't see that applies this time.

There are several exit barriers or there were in the summer when I dropped someone off at the park but clearly they are insufficient at busy times. The airport claimed a staff member was present. If that was the case why didn't they act sooner?

They also made the usual expected comment that they are looking at ways to improve the experience. Should not all that have been sorted out beforehand? One way is to have a clearly identified staff member present at all times with the authority to raise the barriers if people are trapped beyond the initial ten-minute £3 fee through no fault of their own.

 

[kraktoa]

Wait till people start to get their £100 fine for a 10 sec stop to let a friend out on the road in front of the terminal. Or a quick pick up by the zebra crossing. The van with a mounted camera circles that route all day. But some people get lucky and others dont. Wont be long before static cameras appear all along that road and fines are imposed.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Man charged £490 for three-minute stay at Bristol Airport

The man has been promised a full refund by the airport, who have apologised

www.bristolpost.co.uk

Another c*ck-up at BRS with the car parks. A man who dropped off his son yesterday and was out of the drop-off area within three or four minutes was charged £490 instead of the expected £3. He didn't check the amount when he left the car park (which was rather silly) but was later contacted by his credit card company who reported 'suspicious activity' on the card.

The man contacted the airport and it seems that he visited the airport a couple of weeks ago with the same vehicle when the number plate recognition technology recorded his arrival but not his departure, hence he was charged for two weeks stay in the drop-off area. It appears he was there when the chaotic scenes described in #82 occurred and people were eventually let out by a member of staff opening the barriers to ease the huge queues that had built up.

According to this man queues are still a feature at the drop-off area at busy times with drivers, through no fault of their own, being unable to get out until the next payment band.

The airport's technology is dire. On another topic I've still been unable to send a message to them using their Internet contact form. I've been trying for days and each time I receive a message saying, We experienced a technical difficulty while processing your request. Your data may not have been correctly saved.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

£100 fine for failing to use parking areas at Bristol Airport

An enforcement vehicle is being used to catch people.

www.bristolpost.co.uk

According to the local rag BRS's new parking restrictions on airport roads are being enforced by the use of a diesel-powered van patrolling the airport site. If that is the case it's probably not the best thing the airport could have done when they are trying to tell everyone how environmenally-friendly they aim to make the airport.

I seem to remember a press occasion a few months ago with the CEO being interviewed for the local ITV network telling everyone of the airport's environmental plans and displaying an electric-powered vehicle which might even have been a small van - I can't remember now.

The no parking regulations are enforced on behalf of the airport by a company contracted to carry out the work so presumably it's that company's vehicle that is being used. Nevertheless, could not the airprot have insisted on an electric-powered vehicle or is there a lack of electric charging locations at the airport?

The airport declined to tell the local rag how the enforcement vehicle is powered which is as good as a nod and a wink that it is a diesel. It seems to me that this bit of embarrassment could easily have been avoided with some forethought. It will play into the hands of those who are against the airport's expansion on environmental grounds who will say that the airport's assertions about becoming a responsible environmental player are little more than words that are contradicted by actions.

 

[superking]

The Bristol radio was saying the first day of dishing out fines to people that stop in yellow line areas. They have got a low fine of £100. I thought this started weeks ago and the radio just caught up.

 

[kfs]

The Bristol radio was saying the first day of dishing out fines to people that stop in yellow line areas. They have got a low fine of £100. I thought this started weeks ago and the radio just caught up.

Do you mean red? And were they picked up by patrol vehicles or by the long-promised cameras?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The Bristol radio was saying the first day of dishing out fines to people that stop in yellow line areas. They have got a low fine of £100. I thought this started weeks ago and the radio just caught up.

Do you mean red? And were they picked up by patrol vehicles or by the long-promised cameras?

#85 above links to a recent local paper report stating that a diesel-powered van is constantly patrolling the airport to enforce the parking restrictions with a longer term aim of replacing it with cameras.

Red lines have been painted along the edges of airport roads for several years but the warning notices were tiny at the entrance to the airport and the restrictions seem not to have been enforced at that time.

In the past few months many of the red lines appear to have been repainted with prominent notices now displayed.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Bristol Airport objects to rival's plans for 3,000-space park and ride

Bristol Airport objects to rival's plans for park and ride

The transport hub wants to expand its own parking facilities

www.bristolpost.co.uk

Bristol Airport has objected to a planning application that seeks to provide a 3,000-space park and ride near junction 21 of the M5 outside Weston-super-Mare.

Passengers would be conveyed between the park and ride and the airport by buses at the rate of three to five an hour.

The airport says, Critically, if approved, the proposed park and ride facility would undermine Bristol Airport’s existing and an emerging airport surface access strategy, seriously impact the ability of Bristol Airport Ltd to promote more sustainable transport choices for passengers and would lead to the increased use of unauthorised off-site car parks.

Mead Realisation, the car park applicants, say the airport's objection has a "commercial agenda" behind it.

Highways England said the park and ride might impact on the safe and efficient operation of the strategic road network. Furthermore, Highways England said the land might be needed in the future for improvements to the junction.

Inevitably, many people will see protectionism in the airport's objection and coming as it does alongside news this week that they intend to increase express drop-off charges to fund carbon offset (also covered by the local press) it's not been a good week for the airport's PR image.

Rightly or wrongly the car parking issues paint the airport as money-grabbing in some people's eyes. What many don't realise is that smaller regional airports these days have to have substantial income streams away from aeronautical revenue income as these airports' business models are now very different from the days when much of their income came from charges paid by airlines.

Latest on plans for 3000-space park and ride for Bristol Airport

Bristol Airport had expressed “significant and fundamental concerns” about it

www.bristolpost.co.uk

The application has been withdrawn following intimation that it would be refused by the local authority. Bristol Airport was against the idea.

 

[superking]

The plans for a 3,000 space car park just off junction 21 of the m5 have been scrapped by the developers The plans were going to be refused by the council so the developers scrapped them. They were going to run busses from the car park to the airport which is about 10 miles by road. So back to the drawing board I guess as what to do next about car parking.The airport were going to object on plan as well.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Nineteen high-end vehicles stolen from airport hire company

The hire firm was broken into

www.bristolpost.co.uk

 

[superking]

I see another firm Sutherland property and legal services has submitted a formal screening opinion for land near to heathfield park in Bristol road for car parking and buildings for reception,also road layout alterations would be needed as well.This looks like some thing else for North Somerset council to turn down. The council dont help them selves at all as lots of things they have turned down could have been good for the council. We will have to see how far this project goes, as they turned a similar project last year beside j21 of the m5 and what place could be better for parking and transport people to airport in coaches with less carbon.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I see another firm Sutherland property and legal services has submitted a formal screening opinion for land near to heathfield park in Bristol road for car parking and buildings for reception,also road layout alterations would be needed as well.This looks like some thing else for North Somerset council to turn down. The council dont help them selves at all as lots of things they have turned down could have been good for the council. We will have to see how far this project goes, as they turned a similar project last year beside j21 of the m5 and what place could be better for parking and transport people to airport in coaches with less carbon.

I found the Weston Mercury report - see below link.

As you say, it looks as though this will be turned down as the NSC planning officers are not keen. With the elected councillors rejecting the airport’s expansion plans when their planning officers were in support they will jump at the opportunity of turning this down with their planning officers behind them this time.

Park and ride could be built near Bristol Airport

A park and ride car park could be built near Bristol Airport. Sutherland Property and Legal Services has submitted a formal screening...

www.thewestonmercury.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I had an email today from the airport part of which referred to the Silver Zone car park on the south side of the airport:

Silver Zone - one of our most popular car parks - reopens this Saturday and can be booked from today!

This summer Silver Zone will be self parking - you simply park, keep your keys and head straight over to the terminal. The shuttle bus will run every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day.

As always, you're guaranteed the lowest price when you book through this email, with your exclusive 21% discount.

The Silver Zone is not usually self-parking. It will be interesting to see whether this is a temporary measure.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

One passenger alleging that car parking prices at BRS have increased significantly.

Bristol Airport passenger says parking price hike is a 'rip-off'

"It is more than double what I paid for parking this month"

www.bristolpost.co.uk

 

[Jerry]

Maybe a case of demand pushing up prices? With more people flying there is going to be more demand for a limited amount of spaces, pushing up prices.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Maybe a case of demand pushing up prices? With more people flying there is going to be more demand for a limited amount of spaces, pushing up prices.

Possibly seeing how much people are prepared to pay given that car parking is an important part of the airport's revenue and the pandemic has led to a huge drop-off in that and all other revenue streams. I posted recently that the accredited airport taxi company fares have risen significantly since I last used them just prior to the pandemic.

It's understandable that businesses, including the airport and the taxi company, are looking to try to recoup some of the losses but they will have to be careful they don't price themselves too highly. There are off-site car parks outside airport control and there are other taxi companies.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Car parking charges at the airport are going up again - see linked press report below. However, the justification is set out in mixed and conflicting messages.

One the one hand the airport says the price increase is necessary to reduce financial losses caused by the pandemic.

On the other hand the airport says, "Higher costs will be placed on ‘kiss and fly’ journeys to the airport, which are the most inefficient form of transport and the highest generators of car traffic, encouraging the use of more sustainable forms of transport to the Airport, including public transport."

So at the same time as increasing the price of parking to help their financial situation they are trying to discourage people from taking their car to the airport at all.

There is a free 60-minute option for drivers that is sited on the south side of the airport although a free courtesy bus service will take them to the terminal on the north side, but that's not really a practical proposition for those dropping people off or collecting them. In normal times there is often a queue waiting for the shuttle buses that run every ten or 15 minutes. If lots of car drivers also used the buses it would make the situation even worse.

I've always defended airports increasing car parking charges because that's one of the major revenue streams these days given that most airlines don't make anything like the advertised aeronautical charges. However, BRS has to be careful it is not profiteering from its dominant position as the major car parking provider for the airport. Even someone like me who can see the reason for increases from time to time is beginning to wonder, such as been the number of increases in recent years.

Drivers to be charged £5 to park for 10 minutes at Bristol Airport

The airport has said the price increase is necessary to reduce financial losses caused by the pandemic

www.bristolpost.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

NEW! Silver Zone Self-Service Kiosks​

From 1 April, we'll be introducing self-service kiosks to Silver Zone reception, a quick, simple and easy new way to drop your keys at our most popular car park: Check-in your own vehicle at our easy self-service kiosks Drop your keys and collect them when you return to pick up your vehicle Same great car park with 24-hour monitoring Don't forget your 15% discount with promo code TAKEOFFBRS​

 

[Kernow Bravo]

Coverage on local TV news programmes today that construction is starting on the transport interchange.
It appears that this will occupy much of the current Long Stay car park footprint, with presumably an associated temporary reduction in available parking spaces.

Certainly car park pricing seems to have incurred an inflation rate all of its own recently, and reduced capacity may be the reason.