Tesco reserved on donating parking spaces

Published 15 Feb 2010 16:00 5 Comments

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COMMUTERS forced to park in residential streets say permission to use a supermarket car park could help solve the problem.

A row erupted last week when a driver returned to her car to find her tyres slashed.

She had parked it on one of the residential roads around Martin's Heron train station. Drivers say they want to park in nearby Tesco to get cars off the streets, but bosses want to reserve them for shoppers.

The Tesco store in Martin's Heron used to offer commuter parking, but it now only offers a maximum stay of three hours.

Diane Baker, whose daughter catches the train from Martin's Heron to London Waterloo and parks in the residential streets, said: "Tesco would rather have an empty car park than let commuters use it. The far end of the car park could be used for commuters as shoppers do not use that end, even at Christmas that end of the car park is empty."

In response to last week's story on the mystery tyre slasher, John on the News' website wrote: "You can't blame all the commuters when Tesco prevented use of the store car park."

A Tesco spokesman said: "Our priority is our customers, which is why the store would not have commuter parking. You would be amazed how fast the car park fills up.

"We are always more than happy to help when we can, but when we have people coming in to the store and complaining about lack of parking, our priority is our customers."

Paul Worthington, 50, who commutes to London from Martin's Heron train station and is from Warfield, said: "The parking is so awful. It is actually easier to walk to Warfield."

Elaine Armoury, 40, from Easthampstead, said: "Parking is a major problem. You come for a 7.30am train and there are no spaces. I actually park in my cousin's drive now who lives in Martin's Heron."

Police have increased patrols to survey the problem after receiving complaints from residents about too many cars parked on their roads and blocking drives.

This article appeared in Villager 11 Feb 10

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Simon Sweetman
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Feb 18, 00:42
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This is a simple problem with an even more simplistic resolution.

Tesco is a retail corporation (amongst other things). They are there to make money out of members of the public who choose to use their stores to buy food and whatever else it is they sell. If you don't like their shops (like myself), don't shop in them (also like myself). That's your right.

They are not there, however, to provide members of the public with a place to park each weekday. This is because they are not a charity, nor are they in the business of offering free car parking, regardless of whether there's 100 or 300 empty spaces on their property on whatever-day-of-the-week it is. They make this point clear for any people who get confused (note the signs in the carpark).

It's like this across much of The UK. In many city centres, it's far, far worse. Whilst I'm sympathetic to the people who are getting their tyres slashed, this is the police's job to sort out and address and Tesco's decision to state that their customers should "come first" is correct. People who are using the Martins Herons carpark and clearly feel angry about Tesco failing to give them a free place to park each morning should perhaps either:-

a) Get a new job that provides easier parking points

b) Park a much greater distance from the train station and WALK IN (God forbid!)

c) Find some other means to get to the train station each morning

Problem resolved.

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Laura Harrall
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Feb 18, 14:09
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I am sorry bu****hink this mans comments are so far from the truth. I have lived and comunted from Martins Heron into London for 4 years. Tesco used to let people park at the station for a fee per day which was fair game. I am lucky to get a lift to the station some mornings as it is too far to walk. On the days that I cant get a lift I have to catch an earlier train to get a parking space which normally means parking on the main road or on the esate.

I am always respectful and park where it is legal (considering the new restrictions impliments last year) and never block access.

I think your comment about getting a job closer is quite frankly stupid - you try telling that to everyone waiting for the train at 7.35 into London!!!

The solution is simple... Tesco just needs to revert back to their parking policy before they upgraded the store. Let commuters park and pay - I have no problem with that and I would find it very hard to belive that anyone has ever had concern to complain about lack of customer parking at the store as I have never seen it even close to full.

Problem solved

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Simon Sweetman
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Feb 18, 19:24
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Harrall - You're missing the point entirely. It is not Tesco's responsibility to provide parking spaces to commuters. They have rightly stated that their shop's customers need to get priority over those who wish to park up each morning and board a train.

Having withdrawn their paying parking service may be something that irritates commuters, but as already stated, they are perfectly within their rights to do this. It is likely that at some point around the time the store was modernised, they weighed up the fact that having more spaces available for potential customers was to prove more profitable than letting people park in them and board a train.

You argue that you have never observed the car park being anywhere near full but this is an irrelevance as its Tesco land that is designed for Tesco shoppers. Within the law, they can do what they like with it. I'm certain that if Tesco felt that they could make more money out of letting commuters use the spaces than they would by â€˜leaving them free,' they'd continue to do it. But, as mentioned, they've obviously balanced it up and thought otherwise. Apart from anything else, if you think about the situation properly, your argument is heavily flawed. If, in a car park of say, 350 spaces, 125 are only used for, say, 20% of the time during an average day, I think we would both confidently agree that Tesco are set to make more money out of that 20% of people using those spaces to park up and enter the store to shop than they would by letting Mr or Mrs Commuter fill it, thus preventing anyone from parking in that space for much of the remainder of the day.

It may be the evils of capitalism but then, we could also argue that the commuters are privy to something similar - Why don't they just pay for a taxi to and from the station each day? I'm guessing it would be down to the expense, of course. But then, Tesco would likely use a similar defence in explaining why they withdrew commuter parking. They're not a charity. And if you don't like it, don't use their shops.

Anyway, I'll leave you with some alternative thoughts as to how to deal with this.

1. Leave home earlier and cycle to Martin's Heron station (think of the health benefits). I'm sure some people might even be able to walk in.

2. Get a taxi or a bus to the station each morning.

3. Look at some of the other local train stations as alternatives. Bracknell has lots of places to park (The Peel Centre, Charles Square etc - If you're boarding at around 7.00am, there are even quite a few freebie spots I can think of); Ascot also has a large site to park in. Both are just five minute runs from Martins Heron.

4. Change your job. People on the 7.35am train each morning "may feel my comment is quite frankly stupid" but surely when they took the post, they had a plan of action each morning as to how they'd park up get into work. I sincerely hope nobody was 'stupid' enough to think "Tesco will provide me with a space!"

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john
Unregistered User
Mar 11, 23:47
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BFC are putting proposals in the Local Development Framework to add a further 1100 homes along New Forest Ride i.e. Swinley Forest !.

Perhaps BFC can include provision for a station car-park as part of this huge development, which would be greatly appreciated by all (commuters and residents)

Perhaps BFC could demolish the town centre and create a huge free car-park, as they don't have any positive plans for the regeneration : )

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pete
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Jun 1, 08:09
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I was interested to see Tesco employees parking their cars in the station car park this morning.

I'm sure Tesco have a policy on employees parking in customer spaces but I find it ironic that they allow them to use the very limited parking at the staion which, as a sign very clearly says, is reserved for users of the railway.

Tesco, you have a large number of unused parking spaces, are your staff obliged to adhere to the 3 hour rule too? You appear to want it both ways.

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