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Hatton Cross Station drop off facility?

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silverfoxcc

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Is there an 'off road' drop off point here eg can you go into the car park off the A30 and out in less than 5 mins without being charged for the day?
 
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Mojo

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Is there an 'off road' drop off point here eg can you go into the car park off the A30 and out in less than 5 mins without being charged for the day?
If you’re coming off the A30 then turn into Faggs Road, and just beyond the bus stop by the pedestrian footbridge and onto the roundabout is a short section of double yellow lines where drop off and pickup is permitted. Just be careful because before this (and on the A30) is a red route where you can’t stop, unless the passenger is a blue badge holder, and beyond this is the Airport no stopping zone. See this dropped pin for where I mean:
Dropped pin

The station car park, has ANPR, I’ve been to a few LU stations and been dropped off / picked up and never had a problem, but it’s never more than 3 min.
 

PeterC

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If you’re coming off the A30 then turn into Faggs Road, and just beyond the bus stop by the pedestrian footbridge and onto the roundabout is a short section of double yellow lines where drop off and pickup is permitted. Just be careful because before this (and on the A30) is a red route where you can’t stop, unless the passenger is a blue badge holder, and beyond this is the Airport no stopping zone. See this dropped pin for where I mean:
Dropped pin

The station car park, has ANPR, I’ve been to a few LU stations and been dropped off / picked up and never had a problem, but it’s never more than 3 min.
Blue badge holders don't have an automatic right to stop on red routes. Exceptions should be explicitly signed.
 

Mojo

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Blue badge holders don't have an automatic right to stop on red routes. Exceptions should be explicitly signed.
This isn’t correct. You can stop anywhere to pickup or drop off the blue badge holder, just not to park. This information is displayed on the TfL website. Not sure what restrictions apply to non London red routes.
 

Joe Paxton

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[...]
The station car park, has ANPR, I’ve been to a few LU stations and been dropped off / picked up and never had a problem, but it’s never more than 3 min.

If you're referring to Hatton Cross Tube station car park, then (unless something has changed very recently) it works on a pay-and-display basis, and there are no barriers on entry or exit. There's certainly no information about any ANPR based payment system on the NCP page for the car park (NCP operate it on behalf of TfL). Of course, like the whole airport area, it is no doubt bathed with CCTV and ANPR for security (policing) purposes.


Is there an 'off road' drop off point here eg can you go into the car park off the A30 and out in less than 5 mins without being charged for the day?

There isn't a drop off road as such at Hatton Cross tube station, but you can effectively use the station's car park for this purpose - I've picked people up by car from Hatton Cross before, using the car park. As stated above it's a pay-and-display car park - I stayed with my car for a short period waiting, and so didn't pay.

I guess that things could change, if using Hatton Cross for this purpose becomes popular to avoid the new drop-off charges at Heathrow airport's terminals (the £5 charge kicks in from October 2021 - source).

It's worth noting that actually entering the car park is a bit tricky - it's only accessible from the A30 Great South-West Road, and only from the eastbound direction - it's not accessible from the Southern Perimeter Road (it may have been in the past).

The signage to the Tube station car park is minimal, and there's no warning that the slip road is more or less non-existent and the turning off to the left is very sharp - you need to slow down and approach with caution! I'd advise looking at Google Streetview ahead of driving there so you can be prepared! See this link:
https://goo.gl/maps/mmKy1eYn5L6pwJmQ9

For what it's worth, I understand there are often car parking spaces available here - so for those who are willing to gamble and/or are travelling at the last minute, it might prove cheaper than 'proper'/'official' airport car parking, including if you book ahead. (The same applies to Hounslow West Tube station car park, which has cheaper rates than Hatton Cross.)
 
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Snow1964

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Every car park has to give you a chance to read the terms and conditions. As reversing out from an entrance barrier (where parking terms are displayed) is deemed not practical or safe, even when there are barriers or cameras you can enter, drive to the exit and no payment needs to be made.

This facility is rarely advertised, but is normally 5 minutes (sometimes 10 minutes where exit is bit further). It all goes back to a famous piece of case law heard by then master of the Rolls, Lord Denning, regarding Shoe Lane car park (which is between Fleet Street and Holborn Circus in City of London).

So if you ever find yourself in slip road or entrance to a car park in error, just drive in and straight out. I have done it handful of times in different cities over the years and it has always worked, ticket in exit barrier without paying, and it opens. If it is camera then it is programmed to ignore you, because you rejected the parking terms and left without parking.
 

Joe Paxton

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Every car park has to give you a chance to read the terms and conditions. As reversing out from an entrance barrier (where parking terms are displayed) is deemed not practical or safe, even when there are barriers or cameras you can enter, drive to the exit and no payment needs to be made.

This facility is rarely advertised, but is normally 5 minutes (sometimes 10 minutes where exit is bit further). It all goes back to a famous piece of case law heard by then master of the Rolls, Lord Denning, regarding Shoe Lane car park (which is between Fleet Street and Holborn Circus in City of London).

So if you ever find yourself in slip road or entrance to a car park in error, just drive in and straight out. I have done it handful of times in different cities over the years and it has always worked, ticket in exit barrier without paying, and it opens. If it is camera then it is programmed to ignore you, because you rejected the parking terms and left without parking.


Agreed - though I'd be less sure about this at an airport car park, especially at airports where there are drop-off charges in place (said airport drop-off charges are more or less all enforced by ANPR rather than barriers, with multiple notices displayed on approach to the zone so you can avoid it). And pretty much all major UK airports will have drop-off charges once Heathrow's start in October.

Also, I didn't realise the unadvertised 'easement' you refer to was the result of case law - most interesting! Here's the wonkypedia summary of the case:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornton_v_Shoe_Lane_Parking_Ltd
 

Snow1964

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Agreed - though I'd be less sure about this at an airport car park, especially at airports where there are drop-off charges in place (said airport drop-off charges are more or less all enforced by ANPR rather than barriers, with multiple notices displayed on approach to the zone so you can avoid it). And pretty much all major UK airports will have drop-off charges once Heathrow's start in October.

Also, I didn't realise the unadvertised 'easement' you refer to was the result of case law - most interesting! Here's the wonkypedia summary of the case:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornton_v_Shoe_Lane_Parking_Ltd

You are correct, regarding drop off charges they have to be advertised in advance, and have an escape route if you don’t want them.

Bristol recently failed on this with a bus gate, from one direction the advance signs were poor and left nowhere to turn off or around so adjudicator rejected
 

Joe Paxton

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You are correct, regarding drop off charges they have to be advertised in advance, and have an escape route if you don’t want them.

Bristol recently failed on this with a bus gate, from one direction the advance signs were poor and left nowhere to turn off or around so adjudicator rejected

I was at Gatwick (south terminal) recently, and the signage for the drop-off zone is pretty comprehensive, and includes a signed 'escape route' past the Hilton hotel - for what it's worth, that roadway is also festooned with signage warning you not to stop, with the threat of ANPR enforced fines.

(I think the workaround at Gatwick is to get dropped off at the BP petrol station, the McDonald's or the KFC and then walk in.)
 

Mojo

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If you're referring to Hatton Cross Tube station car park, then (unless something has changed very recently) it works on a pay-and-display basis, and there are no barriers on entry or exit. There's certainly no information about any ANPR based payment system on the NCP page for the car park (NCP operate it on behalf of TfL). Of course, like the whole airport area, it is no doubt bathed with CCTV and ANPR for security (policing) purposes.
You’re right. Pretty much every other LU car park is ANPR (via NCP) but Hatton + doesn’t seem to be, but I thought it was.
 

Ianno87

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There's a BP behind Hatton Cross Station you could pull in there drop off and pull out

Careful - some such garages have ANPR to make sure that anybody pulling in is actually a customer. There is a notorious petrol station near East Midlands Airport where people commonly get penalty charges for such things.
 

londonbridge

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Indeed, in the Waddon area at the Fiveways junction I believe the petrol station has cameras to prevent people from using the forecourt as a cut through between Stafford Road and the A23
 

The exile

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Careful - some such garages have ANPR to make sure that anybody pulling in is actually a customer. There is a notorious petrol station near East Midlands Airport where people commonly get penalty charges for such things.
Minimum fuel purchase- at least you’re getting something for your money! “Customer” would presumably include going in, asking “do you sell (something possible but unlikely ) and going off in a huff when the answer is “no”
 

Cloud Strife

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Careful - some such garages have ANPR to make sure that anybody pulling in is actually a customer. There is a notorious petrol station near East Midlands Airport where people commonly get penalty charges for such things.

It would be enough to walk in, look at a product and then leave. Using ANPR would never stick in this circumstance, as it's impossible to prove that the person wasn't a genuine customer.
 

matt_world2004

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Careful - some such garages have ANPR to make sure that anybody pulling in is actually a customer. There is a notorious petrol station near East Midlands Airport where people commonly get penalty charges for such things.
I don't know if it does as it has a subway and pizza restaurant on site all are within the petrol station but appear to be separate businesses.

I usually go to the subway or pizza place when working at Hatton Cross but dont drive there
 
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