Parking around the ground
Have parked by the plumb centre for over 20 years, in fact since our move to Adams Park. As of yesterday we and now have yet another parking charity donation collecting to park in this area. Whilst at £4 it's slightly cheaper than the £5 charged in most other areas, it is an added cost to attend the game and over a season adds over £100 to the cost of watching our home games.
I know these parking areas are nothing to do directly with the club, but it's another fiver on the cost of coming to the game and may be another reason why we don't seem to be able to attract more fans. Is there something the club could do to either ask these charities to reduce their fees or eradicate them altogether?
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It's a fact of modern life that you have to pay to park a car. There's no divine right to free parking just where you want it.
And why on earth would a charity want to reduce its revenue stream to assist WWFC supporters with cheaper parking? Is cancer research less important than cheaper parking for football supporters?
Get a few people to travel with you and it doesn't work out that much. It's even free at the ground if there's 4 of you in the car.
Alternatively, park earlier and enjoy a stroll.
I used to happily pay £3 to park in that area, which I believe went to the local air ambulance and various scout movements. Same attendants every week, and they were a friendly bunch, unlike the ones who blocked the entrance and virtually demanded £4 yesterday. I won't be back.
As regards the Plumb Centre area, it is a donation not a charge so if you really feel it's a problem for you then I am pretty sure you can decline or perhaps just give them what you are happy to pay and still park there. I don't think they can stop you. You might find you are unaccountably blocked in when you get back to your car though!
How can you object to having to pay to park your car! Incredible. Some people beggar belief.
I must admit I would like to know what charities the rotary people support. In used to happily give £3 to the scout/air ambulance volunteers. I suppose the extra quid is to pay for the card they are printing to put in the car window...?
Like everyone else i dont mind paying something to park but 4/5 pounds a time i think is too steep
It's clearly not too steep as the car parks are all full. £4 would barely get you 2 hours near a major shopping town or city. Club together with others to reduce / eliminate cost or walk.
I'm quite happy paying a fiver.
As Arnos says, simple market economics going on here. They are charging £5 and filling up every space. If you're not willing to stump up and extra quid or two, someone else will.
Does anyone wonder, the car park next to CEF, (Diamonds is it?), where the money goes? Has anyone asked if they have any authority to use & charge and if they are charging for a service, do they have at any public liability insurance?
I'm not enough of a do-gooder I'm afraid.
Surely the problem is getting in and out of Adams Park quickly. I seemed to remember at some time a discussion about creating another exit point to help ease the congestion at the end of a game. The stewards try to do their best but until another exit is created somehow this will always be the case of long waits
I think the issue with another exit route is primarily the massive great hills around 3 sides of the ground.
There is another way out of the top car park, however it is not often navigable, I discovered it last season at the Northampton game. So many cars that we were put into the overflow field to the left. Grid lock post match but then saw someone drive into the woods at the top of the field through an open gate, we followed, through the trees, up a track, past a few houses and found myself on a back lane to West Wycombe. This could be opened for departure only on match days, for say 100 cars to leave the top car park & would make a big difference to the jam. Seem to remember hearing the landed gentry who own the valley aren't that keen to oblige though - "keep off my land"!
There are farm tracks in two directions. The one you have used ends up in Witheridge Lane and goes to West Wycombe. The other goes in the opposite direction and comes out on the road to Lane End. They are only farm tracks though and OK if you have an appropriate vehicle. As you say it is very unlikely that the landowner would agree to having them made up or I imagine it would have been done already.
If you can exit via them, could you also enter the car park too without paying? I'm sure Wanderer71 will be delighted to know he can now do this to dodge paying £5 to charity.
If Wanderer71 takes a look at Google maps he could park up there and walk down over the fields to the ground - you often see folk standing up in the top corner of that field who have gone for a country walk in the Chilterns and come across a professional football match !
I have walked up around the top of Witheridge Lane and there are one or two spots where it might be possible to park but there are houses there too and I doubt if the residents would be very keen on it. The lower part of Witheridge Lane is cut off from the other section by woodland and closed gates so there is no through road. As suggested look at a map and all will be clear.
@wingnut Do you actually mean Toweridge Lane?
Yes, sorry. Slip of the mind/another aged moment. That's what I meant of course. I looked into it years ago when there was a big match on but decided there might be problems and abandoned the idea. It might be OK for one or two but not for more.
Witheridge lane is of course at Penn and I went along it a few days ago.
@wingnut I was gonna say - you could be walking a while from Penn! Plenty of free parking though!
I agree we have no right to free parking. However those collecting for the Rotary Club around the plumb centre are unfriendly to say the least and seem more like the gestapo. I would be more than happy to pay £5 or more as long as it was to a PROPER charity such as cancer research instead of the Rotary Club elite.
Crikey - a harsh comparison. I bet a lot of people in conflicts past would've preferred to have been rounded up by some Rotarians as opposed to the Gestapo!
I don't know a great deal about the Rotary Club, but I don't think they raise money for themselves to go to the Seychelles every year.
That comment about 'a proper charity' gives the game away though. I'm guessing your proper charity list will include:
Cancer Research
British Heart Foundation
Great Ormond Street
Help for Heroes
but probably not anything to do with helping the homeless, immigrants or people who use food banks. Am I close?
Just get three mates to come with you and park for free in the club carpark.
Use that back exit now and you'll be stuck for weeks! and it's used as a 4x4 track so not navigable in your average family saloon - and it's private land. But hey, give it a go if you feel brave enough - could make for a fun spectator sport for the rest of us!
£5 to park for 2 hours is exorbitant. Why even in posh Marlow I can park for two hours for less than £2 and I don't have to mix with the hoi polloi when I do. Plus who really knows where this money goes? Do as I do and find a free space, they can be found.
You are correct. I don't really understand your comment re immigrants, don't they ever suffer from cancer or heart problems? If your chosen charities are those relating to the homeless etc that is fine, but please don't criticise those that have different priorities to yourself.
No criticism levelled at all. You're the one who started talking about 'proper' charities.
Proper charities as opposed to secretive and elitist Rotarian groups was the point, I'm guessing.
Rotary may have elitist roots but they do an awful lot of good locally - I can let you know how much the Wycombe branch gives away if you like. And no, I'm not a member.