Pay and Display comes to Ruabon Station

[merlodlliw]

With effect from 1st April a parking charge of £2 a day will come into effect at Ruabon Station, Wrexham County Council owns the car park and the reasons are given below


http://moderngov.wrexham.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=500000237

... Whilst the increase in the popularity of Ruabon Station is positive and to be encouraged, existing demands for parking far exceed available spaces at this Wrexham Council managed car park. Surveys undertaken have demonstrated that the car park is full by 09:00hrs on a daily basis with 42% of the available spaces occupied before 06:30hrs. This survey work has also identified evidence to suggest some abuse of the parking provision by non-station users (ie people parking up and walking away from the station).

The lack of any formal parking arrangements at Ruabon Train Station is seen as having a negative impact on the overall accessibility for those wanting to access rail services, specifically services operating beyond 09:00 hours when the car park is full. To ensure better utilisation of the existing car park for the benefit of rail users, it is considered that parking management measures in the form of parking charges be applied to this car park....:

Could Chirk be the next station to Charge, in my opinion the fee is reasonable to cut down on abuse, Ruabon is an hourly staging point for both Rail and Bus,the bus service runs via Llangollen to Barmouth every hour Monday to Saturday with a reduced Sunday service

 

[HowardGWR]

What seems desirable there (from my visit a year ago) is that social control aspects need to be improved. The station is reached, IIRC, via a short gloomy path at the end of a long road with no housing adjacent. We were there on a late Sunday afternoon and I should not like my wife to have been alone (nor I!).

If the Council decides on the hub idea, mentioned in the report, one would hope some sort of manning, perhaps a kiosk or cafe, would be highly desirable.

 

[headshot119]

Reached from the main road side there's a pavement, it's well lit when I've used it.

 

[merlodlliw]

What seems desirable there (from my visit a year ago) is that social control aspects need to be improved. The station is reached, IIRC, via a short gloomy path at the end of a long road with no housing adjacent. We were there on a late Sunday afternoon and I should not like my wife to have been alone (nor I!).

If the Council decides on the hub idea, mentioned in the report, one would hope some sort of manning, perhaps a kiosk or cafe, would be highly desirable.

Ruabon as two entrances,one off the car park entrance is well lit with housing,the other you mention,is perhaps a bit dingy to the right,but lit up,

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

While we are on local carparking, the honeymoon of the new ATW Chester East car park is over.
At 0900 on Wednesday, it was full, with a large chunk taken up by staff parking.
The "still 3rd world" West car park was full too.
I'd be interested to know if more space will be available for cars when the office building on the old East car park is finished (hopefully allowing a shorter walk to the platforms).

I ended up driving to Hooton, where for the first time I can remember it too was full - but the helpful attendant was directing people to the (nearly empty) disabled spaces.
Some construction work is in progress at the far end - maybe a car park extension?

 

[merlodlliw]

Chester is such a problem to get into from Wrexham by car ,unless you leave before 0600,then theirs no guarantee of getting past the Post house roundabout on the A483 in time to catch your train,the sooner we have a 30 minute rail service the better,first train out of Wrexham at 0600 is too late for me,when I need a connection at Chester,I am afraid things will only get worse with the Chester car parks. The helpful attendant at Hooton is reassuring,is it a private car park or Network Rails managed.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Chester is such a problem to get into from Wrexham by car ,unless you leave before 0600,then theirs no guarantee of getting past the Post house roundabout on the A483 in time to catch your train,the sooner we have a 30 minute rail service the better,first train out of Wrexham at 0600 is too late for me,when I need a connection at Chester,I am afraid things will only get worse with the Chester car parks. The helpful attendant at Hooton is reassuring,is it a private car park or Network Rails managed.

Chester Council managed, 80p a day, always manned, pay on exit.
Must be about 300 spaces, usually 90% full.

 

[turboslug]

The car park at hooton is getting extended as far as the flats in the old waterworks building as the car park is very busy each day, 80p a day is great value with merseyrail providing 6 trains an hour to Liverpool all day & the Mersey tunnels going up to £1.80 each way next month

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The car park at hooton is getting extended as far as the flats in the old waterworks building as the car park is very busy each day, 80p a day is great value with merseyrail providing 6 trains an hour to Liverpool all day & the Mersey tunnels going up to £1.80 each way next month

Excellent.
I'll just add that there are plenty of Welsh-registered cars using it (like mine), as well as Wirralians.

 

[Gareth Marston]

Excellent.
I'll just add that there are plenty of Welsh-registered cars using it (like mine), as well as Wirralians.

I've used it a few times the other half prefers shopping in Liverpool to Birmingham as the city centres not so overcrowded nor the trains into it. (She also hates the two hour gaps in trains from Newtown). Always had no trouble getting parked. We've used Gobowen as well. Might be able to go all way come May with the better connections and more trains but Birmingham also gets more attractive.

 

[quarella]

While we are on local carparking, the honeymoon of the new ATW Chester East car park is over.
At 0900 on Wednesday, it was full, with a large chunk taken up by staff parking.
The "still 3rd world" West car park was full too.
I'd be interested to know if more space will be available for cars when the office building on the old East car park is finished (hopefully allowing a shorter walk to the platforms).

The car is the easy option. It takes me ten minutes to comfortably walk to my local station. Neighbours of mine will drive there. More parking has become available. Some who used to use alternative means due to not being able to get a space have resorted to their cars. As the hours for rail staff are not conducive to using public transport in many areas they will need to drive.
I chose to live somewhere where there is only a 3 hour gap between 1am and 4am between trains. I would like a 24 hour service but I only have to look at the loadings on the services I travel on before 0700, sometimes a carriage to myself travelling to a major city to see why this has not been implemented and why stupid o'clock trains are not introduced elsewhere.

 

[185]

Except in major towns / city centres, I disagree with parking fees at stations - especially at somewhere like Hooton or Ruabon. Whilst there may be a little fly parking, by far the majority of parking is genuine rail use. The increase in revenue generated by extra car users could pay for car park expansion / maintenance - a business model used by Merseyrail and Manchester Metrolink.

Bylaw parking breaches can be dealt with very simply as Northern do.

 

[merlodlliw]

Chester Council managed, 80p a day, always manned, pay on exit.
Must be about 300 spaces, usually 90% full.

I last used Hooton car park when it was free,several years ago, the then railway did a special on Sundays,Hooton to Birkenhead,ferry to Liverpool,Ferry back to Birkenhead, train to Hooton,all for £1 or less if I recall, I took the dog, her ticket was 1p which always made me smile.
Surprising how many from North Wales work in Liverpool and park up at Hooton.