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Post by redhatter on Mar 10, 2023 10:44:12 GMT
The club do need to look at more parking options like they have done with the NCP. Suspect the parking permit restrictions will only get worse as the ground gets bigger and there will be more cars coming. So it’s not an area the club can just neglect as the majority won’t want to/ can’t make public transport work. I'd suggest it's rather the other way round and the majority can make public transport work and indeed do so. Most of our fanbase travels from around Stockport, South Manchester, Tameside, North Cheshire, and High Peak. All areas with good public transport links to Stockport. It's 10 minutes walk from the rail station, 15 minutes from the bus station/interchange, A6, and town centre, and there are numerous frequent buses that pass with a minute or two of the ground. It might take somewhat longer or involve a little planning but it's hardly a trek to a miles out of town ground like Bolton or Colchester or something. Plus if you drive you don't have to worry/think about where to park the car park, you're free to have a drink if you choose, etc... A lot of it is down to laziness. People may well think on if the walk from where they have to park becomes longer and might be 10-20 minutes. Albeit more can be done to encourage the buses - transport offers similar to Germany would be good. But failing that let's list EP/County on the bus timetables and timetable boards at the bus station, let's have better signage from the rail station, town centre, bus/transport interchange, let's get the buses that pass County/EP listing it on their destination boards on the front of the bus. For drivers there's the rail station multistorey, more use should be made of the car parks around the town hall and municipal buildings, etc... But I'd argue the point that the majority drive. And I'd definitely argue the idea that most fans coming to EP can't make public transport work. A lot of people will drive out of habit. If you've already got a car, it's very difficult to persuade people not to use it, but I think it's important the Club try and change behaviours. Cost is a big factor. Once you've covered the fixed costs of a car, it's typically more expensive to pay for public transport, than pay for petrol. And if there is more than one person or a family, a car becomes much more economical very quickly. That's why this £2 bus fare initiative is worth capitalising on. The cost won't be dissimilar to paying for fuel. If the Club had a campaign saying bring a valid bus / train ticket and receive a 10% - 20% discount at the Courtyard or concourse, I think that could help win a few fans over. Works for the Club too, as more people would be spending money with them. Even if only 50 or 100 take up the offer, it relieves parking pressure on the area and it's better for the environment.
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Post by timberwolf on Mar 10, 2023 11:03:01 GMT
It costs me exactly 475 quid a year even if i just leave the car in the garage and not use it. Seems pointless paying that much without using the thing. Imagine what i pay for tax and insurance is small to what many others pay as well. People do need to change their habits though to avoid short journeys that cause more wear and tare on their cars than long ones. A bloke i worked with years ago had the exact same make and model car as me but used it for work when he could have walked it in under 10 minutes and then wondered why my exhaust lasted far longer than his and could not get the reason why.
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Post by The Real Exile on Mar 10, 2023 12:02:28 GMT
I only drive if the trains are off, my bus options show circa 2 hours using the 237 and the 330, I'd walk from the bus station but the 11 would be the third bus in the chain. Takes around 50 minutes if I time the trains right.
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Post by Imposter on Mar 10, 2023 12:59:26 GMT
I'd suggest it's rather the other way round and the majority can make public transport work and indeed do so. Most of our fanbase travels from around Stockport, South Manchester, Tameside, North Cheshire, and High Peak. All areas with good public transport links to Stockport. It's 10 minutes walk from the rail station, 15 minutes from the bus station/interchange, A6, and town centre, and there are numerous frequent buses that pass with a minute or two of the ground. It might take somewhat longer or involve a little planning but it's hardly a trek to a miles out of town ground like Bolton or Colchester or something. Plus if you drive you don't have to worry/think about where to park the car park, you're free to have a drink if you choose, etc... A lot of it is down to laziness. People may well think on if the walk from where they have to park becomes longer and might be 10-20 minutes. Albeit more can be done to encourage the buses - transport offers similar to Germany would be good. But failing that let's list EP/County on the bus timetables and timetable boards at the bus station, let's have better signage from the rail station, town centre, bus/transport interchange, let's get the buses that pass County/EP listing it on their destination boards on the front of the bus. For drivers there's the rail station multistorey, more use should be made of the car parks around the town hall and municipal buildings, etc... But I'd argue the point that the majority drive. And I'd definitely argue the idea that most fans coming to EP can't make public transport work. I do reckon the majority of our fan base drives you only have to walk around Edgeley and back towards stocky to see the amount of people flocking to games in cars. we both agree that the club needs to do more in terms of using other multi storeys. It’s not just about if there is a route to get you there on public transport though. It’s also about people’s circumstances. If I go via bus it takes me an 1hr 10mins door to door for a 6 mile journey. And there’s only two buses an hour. On Tues night I only got home from work at 6.50. The only option is to drive or a taxi. I imagine there’s a lot of people with work/ family commitments which means they haven’t got the time to allow them to take public transport. 1 hr 10 minutes door to door for an non-direct journey of 6 miles isn't bad really. Compared to the drive and the walk from where you park and it's only an extra half hour/40 minutes. Tuesday night games are different beast for many admittedly, but they are a minority of games, most games are on Saturdays when most people don't work. I'm also still not convinced a majority of people drive to games. That's 4 or 5 thousand people, so I'd expect a good 2 thousand cars around Edgeley/Stockport - I'm just not sure I see quite that many. Also I see plenty heading to the bus station, rail station, A6, just walking home. Also the pubs and bars around Edgeley and Stockport, and the courtyard and concourse bars at EP are always rammed on matchdays with plenty of people drinking plenty of booze, which doesn't seem to tally well with them driving. Nor do I see many of the teenagers who make their own way to games, doing so by driving. We'll never truly know. Any survey will only ever get a limited amount of fans responding, and of the rest, the majority, you could make any sort of argument from they all drive to they all walk to games.
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Post by m14hatter on Mar 10, 2023 13:15:40 GMT
I do reckon the majority of our fan base drives you only have to walk around Edgeley and back towards stocky to see the amount of people flocking to games in cars. we both agree that the club needs to do more in terms of using other multi storeys. It’s not just about if there is a route to get you there on public transport though. It’s also about people’s circumstances. If I go via bus it takes me an 1hr 10mins door to door for a 6 mile journey. And there’s only two buses an hour. On Tues night I only got home from work at 6.50. The only option is to drive or a taxi. I imagine there’s a lot of people with work/ family commitments which means they haven’t got the time to allow them to take public transport. 1 hr 10 minutes door to door for an non-direct journey of 6 miles isn't bad really. Compared to the drive and the walk from where you park and it's only an extra half hour/40 minutes. Tuesday night games are different beast for many admittedly, but they are a minority of games, most games are on Saturdays when most people don't work. I'm also still not convinced a majority of people drive to games. That's 4 or 5 thousand people, so I'd expect a good 2 thousand cars around Edgeley/Stockport - I'm just not sure I see quite that many. Also I see plenty heading to the bus station, rail station, A6, just walking home. Also the pubs and bars around Edgeley and Stockport, and the courtyard and concourse bars at EP are always rammed on matchdays with plenty of people drinking plenty of booze, which doesn't seem to tally well with them driving. Nor do I see many of the teenagers who make their own way to games, doing so by driving. We'll never truly know. Any survey will only ever get a limited amount of fans responding, and of the rest, the majority, you could make any sort of argument from they all drive to they all walk to games. 1hr 10mins on the bus/ the walk on both sides is atrocious when you consider it’s 15mins in the car and then a 5-10min walk to the ground depending on where I chance it. I’m not anti public transport I still use it and I Only got a car 5 years ago. And I’ve used public transport to get to and from Derby, Preston, Northenden, Brooklands, Bollington, Macc , Offy and Marple and Town on a regular basis to watch County. But the car is way more convenient and easy.
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Post by Imposter on Mar 10, 2023 14:39:16 GMT
1 hr 10 minutes door to door for an non-direct journey of 6 miles isn't bad really. Compared to the drive and the walk from where you park and it's only an extra half hour/40 minutes. Tuesday night games are different beast for many admittedly, but they are a minority of games, most games are on Saturdays when most people don't work. I'm also still not convinced a majority of people drive to games. That's 4 or 5 thousand people, so I'd expect a good 2 thousand cars around Edgeley/Stockport - I'm just not sure I see quite that many. Also I see plenty heading to the bus station, rail station, A6, just walking home. Also the pubs and bars around Edgeley and Stockport, and the courtyard and concourse bars at EP are always rammed on matchdays with plenty of people drinking plenty of booze, which doesn't seem to tally well with them driving. Nor do I see many of the teenagers who make their own way to games, doing so by driving. We'll never truly know. Any survey will only ever get a limited amount of fans responding, and of the rest, the majority, you could make any sort of argument from they all drive to they all walk to games. 1hr 10mins on the bus/ the walk on both sides is atrocious when you consider it’s 15mins in the car and then a 5-10min walk to the ground depending on where I chance it. I’m not anti public transport I still use it and I Only got a car 5 years ago. And I’ve used public transport to get to and from Derby, Preston, Northenden, Brooklands, Bollington, Macc , Offy and Marple and Town on a regular basis to watch County. But the car is way more convenient and easy. That 5-10 minutes could become 14-20 if we get loads more fans 😉 Plus there are plenty for whom public transport fits as well, if not better. From where I am bu the time I've driven and parked, it's considerably quicker just to walk from home to EP. In fact depending where I parked going home I could be halfway home or more before I got in a car park. Even when I was living out in Heaton Mersey the traffic out on Didsbury Rd and up Kibg St West meant getting a lift really wasn't much quicker than just getting the bus - not to make a huge difference to the journey. And there'll very fans all over Stockport and surrounds who can say the same.
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Post by tgttiw on Mar 10, 2023 14:49:02 GMT
I'd suggest it's rather the other way round and the majority can make public transport work and indeed do so. Most of our fanbase travels from around Stockport, South Manchester, Tameside, North Cheshire, and High Peak. All areas with good public transport links to Stockport. It's 10 minutes walk from the rail station, 15 minutes from the bus station/interchange, A6, and town centre, and there are numerous frequent buses that pass with a minute or two of the ground. It might take somewhat longer or involve a little planning but it's hardly a trek to a miles out of town ground like Bolton or Colchester or something. Plus if you drive you don't have to worry/think about where to park the car park, you're free to have a drink if you choose, etc... A lot of it is down to laziness. People may well think on if the walk from where they have to park becomes longer and might be 10-20 minutes. Albeit more can be done to encourage the buses - transport offers similar to Germany would be good. But failing that let's list EP/County on the bus timetables and timetable boards at the bus station, let's have better signage from the rail station, town centre, bus/transport interchange, let's get the buses that pass County/EP listing it on their destination boards on the front of the bus. For drivers there's the rail station multistorey, more use should be made of the car parks around the town hall and municipal buildings, etc... But I'd argue the point that the majority drive. And I'd definitely argue the idea that most fans coming to EP can't make public transport work. A lot of people will drive out of habit. If you've already got a car, it's very difficult to persuade people not to use it, but I think it's important the Club try and change behaviours. Cost is a big factor. Once you've covered the fixed costs of a car, it's typically more expensive to pay for public transport, than pay for petrol. And if there is more than one person or a family, a car becomes much more economical very quickly. That's why this £2 bus fare initiative is worth capitalising on. The cost won't be dissimilar to paying for fuel. If the Club had a campaign saying bring a valid bus / train ticket and receive a 10% - 20% discount at the Courtyard or concourse, I think that could help win a few fans over. Works for the Club too, as more people would be spending money with them. Even if only 50 or 100 take up the offer, it relieves parking pressure on the area and it's better for the environment. I'd happily go by public transport. But my diesel cost is £11, train ticket £27. It's far cheaper to drive. And cheap singles only exist between Leeds and Manchester by the time I add the 2 additional bits it's not as good value.
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TC
Contributor
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Post by TC on Mar 11, 2023 10:38:32 GMT
I normally go by train but that's been impossible because of the strikes on several home games recently so have had to resort to driving. On those occasions I park about 15 minutes from EP and often wondered how early you have to arrive to park on Dale Street. Now I know it's two hours before the game! I really can't imagine doing that but I suppose if walking is an issue, needs must.
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Post by mat1scfc on Mar 11, 2023 11:05:44 GMT
I normally go by train but that's been impossible because of the strikes on several home games recently so have had to resort to driving. On those occasions I park about 15 minutes from EP and often wondered how early you have to arrive to park on Dale Street. Now I know it's two hours before the game! I really can't imagine doing that but I suppose if walking is an issue, needs must. this is exactly my situation
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Post by timberwolf on Mar 12, 2023 10:59:02 GMT
I'd happily go by public transport. But my diesel cost is £11, train ticket £27. It's far cheaper to drive. And cheap singles only exist between Leeds and Manchester by the time I add the 2 additional bits it's not as good value. And you do not get a discount on your tax and insurance you have paid just to leave it at home unused. Then it saves messing about with the present ticketing system instead of like the good old days of the cheap day return being the best option. I just have not the interest or inclination to go though all that week in week out just to get the best deal on using a train where the chapest ticket should be offered at the time of booking from the operating company.
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jkb9b
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Posts: 1,348
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Post by jkb9b on May 19, 2023 6:57:09 GMT
At first glance there seems to no reason for the three zones, all of which have the same time limits. The EPS Zone is very slightly different from the other two, in that some of the spaces are permit-only and some are no parking at all on match days. I think the risk of a ticket is always there because of the anomaly between the map and the actual road markings, but at the moment I'm minded to lodge an official appeal once the "Notice To Owner" arrives later this month. Yours sincerely, Victor Meldrew. I thought I'd post an update on this, as there's nothing else of importance happening on Planet County at the moment 😀 I got the "Notice To Owner" and lodged my "Formal Representation" on the 27th March. It's been complete silence from the Council since then, so I've prodded them this morning. When you get a parking fine, a clock starts ticking and you have to pay or appeal within fourteen days at every stage. As the council have now had six weeks, I thought it was worth a nudge. Maybe they're stalling so they can paint yellow lines on Dale Street to match the maps or perhaps the yellow paint is on back order at Screwfix or something.
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jkb9b
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Posts: 1,348
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Post by jkb9b on Jul 22, 2023 10:53:00 GMT
I thought I'd post an update on this, as there's nothing else of importance happening on Planet County at the moment 😀 I got the "Notice To Owner" and lodged my "Formal Representation" on the 27th March. It's been complete silence from the Council since then, so I've prodded them this morning. When you get a parking fine, a clock starts ticking and you have to pay or appeal within fourteen days at every stage. As the council have now had six weeks, I thought it was worth a nudge. Maybe they're stalling so they can paint yellow lines on Dale Street to match the maps or perhaps the yellow paint is on back order at Screwfix or something. The saga continues... We received a letter from the council today, apologising for the delay in replying, this is the germane bit: "There is a sign where the driver was parked that explains that the location is the for permit holders only, however we have cancelled your PCN after carefully considering what you say." It's good that they've cancelled the PCN but the overall premise is incorrect; the sign they're talking about is the boundary of the zone and we were parked on the non-permit side of it. For my sake, and for anyone else who wants to park there next season, I want to carry on the fight but in cancelling the PCN I suspect they might have shot my fox. Now considering my next move...
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Post by timberwolf on Jul 22, 2023 11:47:47 GMT
The saga continues... We received a letter from the council today, apologising for the delay in replying, this is the germane bit: "There is a sign where the driver was parked that explains that the location is the for permit holders only, however we have cancelled your PCN after carefully considering what you say." It's good that they've cancelled the PCN but the overall premise is incorrect; the sign they're talking about is the boundary of the zone and we were parked on the non-permit side of it. For my sake, and for anyone else who wants to park there next season, I want to carry on the fight but in cancelling the PCN I suspect they might have shot my fox. Now considering my next move... Soreally eventually they cancelled what you asked for. Possibly doing that in their eyes was better than admitting they were wrong. Something councils and parking companies hate to do. Financially you have won if morally you might still not have.
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