Car park price increase
Not sure if this has already been mentioned or common knowledge but I understand from a good source and think it was in the minutes of a trust meeting that the car park price is going up to £10 and you can only pay online. No card or cash payments on the day.
Good for my steps count as there's no way I'm paying that. If you live near the ground with a drive maybe there's a bit of cash to be made.
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Sounds like it will just push people to park further out, giving their money to a random bloke in a hi-viz somewhere near the Hour Glass, rather than to the club.
I'm sure the Couhigs have crunched the numbers and reckon it would be net positive, but seems very steep.
Surprises me that there’s no official bicycle parking at AP (unless I’ve just never noticed). Bearing in mind it’s a complete bottleneck, even 100 odd people cycling would make a big difference to the traffic at the end of a game.
But you can buy a seasonal pass
https://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk/news/2021/june/car-parking-passes-available-to-purchase/
My son and I decided not to park in the upper tier car park this season due to the number of times we have been locked in the car park post final whistle.
I understand the safety issues but it really isn’t pleasant being stuck in the car park for up to 45 mins.
We didn’t know of the price increase but now I know that, then we will certainly be parking further down hill bottom road.
I wrote to Mr Couhig after our promotion season to ask if there could be anything done to alleviate the issue and I know he was trying to sort something with the Council and authorities to try and somehow resolve the issue but he obviously didn’t get far with this difficult issue. However, increasing the pay on the day price will not encourage people to park there. £10 is far too much in my opinion and so is the increase to the seasonal pass.
Alan @AlanCecil, I respect everything you do for our club but I feel this is an increase too far. For a bumpy old field with a guaranteed long wait after the match this pricing is certainly not on at all. To get out of this car park without a long delay you simply have to leave prior to the final whistle and that is not a good strategy at all.
Supply and demand I guess. We consolidate 3 car loads of us and split the cost. Stay for a drink post game. It suits me fine. But everyone is different and you may need to run down hillbottom road to get home as injury time is announced.
Didn't the business on the right of the gates...where there is a burger van...used to allow parking? Does it still do so? Or am I dreaming? I daresay this means the industrial estate will also now become bunged up quite quickly!
It's a long hike, particularly in the winter time and if you've had a few, but if prices escalate I may start using the train. Is it the club's nod towards climate change I wonder?
10 quid for parking on a dodgy hill is definitely too much I'd say,we won't be doing that this year
£10 to park in a field is too much. And @arnos_grove there are, or at least used to be, bike parking behind the away end.
Did anyone previously use the number 32 bus that heads into town then out on the London Road? Was wondering how busy that is around matches
I've got no problem with the increase. The revenue goes towards the cost of running the club and nobody is forcing supporters to park there. Reading's season parking fee is £230.
My only concern would be if there were no reductions for those with disabled passes.
Lucky you @mooneyman but there are many who will or may find this a price rise too far. To go from £5 to £10 is an absolute rip off and will impact the people who are less able to afford it and these may well be the exact people who are unable to walk a great distance along Hillbottom Road.
Park your car, buy your ticket, have a burger and a pint and buy a programme to read....... expensive day out isn't it?
Following on from that, anyone know whether we will be printing physical programmes this year? I’m sure some clubs won’t return to it as I’m sure it can be more trouble than it’s worth
What we need is a handy town centre football ground...
They were planning on it last I heard
Hopefully - but it goes without saying the public transport links to the ground need to improve. I'm sure that's all part of the masterplan, though.
?
Maybe a smaller offering at a reduced price?
I suspect staff input time is still high and costly for the sales achieved.
Access is as ever the problem. Lorries shouldn’t park on Hillbottom on match day or evening but they do. Access to emergency services the priority so a one way system pre and post impossible. The hike in price increases revenue whilst deterring the wavering user (who probably is the one to complain about 45 min post match delay).
So all in all a sound business decision implemented by sound business people - who will guide the club responsibly over the coming seasons. Expect more of the same.
This is happening everywhere. The days of abandoning your metal box on someone’s land for a nominal fee are over.
Dig out your bike, get on an e-scooter (legally, of course), give your legs a workout, and leave the spaces for those that really need them.
This thread has reminded me that I stumped up £150 for an upper tier pass back in June (cost is spread between 2-3 so works out less expensive for a whole season this way).
I've heard nothing from the club since, so I'll have to call next week to see what's happening about that.
It's a shame people are so anti park and ride schemes, as that would take a massive amount of the strain of the location away.
It's a mission to get them suiting people though, but if they put on more routes with more busses maybe they could work?
I used to use the one at the top of Marlow hill, as it left fairly late 2.25pm? Got there about 2.45 and was brilliant, quite quick out too, especially when they parked at the end of Hillbottom and went direct up the hill, rather than back past the Hour Glass.
However, they then changed the route, to make The Marlow hill stop the last stop, meaning you would be on there an hour, having had the painful slog down Hillbottom and into town that way.
My understanding is that matchday programmes will no longer be available.
Been going to AP since it’s opened, and can count on one hand how many times I’ve parked at the ground (as a child and an adult and now a parent). Each time I’ve been in someone else’s car who has parked there I wished I’d just walked for 15-20 mins and parked elsewhere. No problem with them charging £10 personally, you could easily pay that at other places such as some shopping centres etc for an afternoon. Also, if I was wanting / needing to park closer I would rather pay by card to our club and know it goes through the books, than 5 or 6 quid to someone else sticking it in their back pocket, or the junior football team that used to be there (perhaps still will be) and must be absolutely minted by now. Someone mentioned about the lorries parking - pretty sure there was an industrial estate there before a football ground so again I can handle walking round them as we can choose if we want to go to a football match, but these drivers and warehouse workers I suspect are just trying to put food on the table. The last time I paid parking it was a game at Southampton away for another club I follow, and they were right at the foot of the championship. £8 and it was about a mile away, and I remember thinking then about people moaning about access to WWFC. Sorry, rant over and no sympathy here.
???sorry meant rather pay online or card to the club
Thanks (and to @ReturnToSenda and @AlanCecil). A shame for someone of my generation but no real surprise and at least I can stop installing shelves
So that’s nearly the cost of a pint I’ve saved…
When I spoke to Matt C a few weeks ago he said it looked like there would be a programme next season, but obviously there might have been a change of plan. I didn't think it would make a comeback, tbh.
As someone who has found a lovely spot to park a pleasant fifteen minute walk away, I regret the price increase only for the fact that others may now be motivated to find the same spot and I will find competition for spots where there has been none before.
@HCblue Can you tell us where it us then ?