National archives introduces car parking charges akin to the worst hospital parking charges
What poppycock!When I visited the archives the other day there was an internal electronic news board to read whilst I was in a queue. I just missed the full message about car parking charges so I looked it up this morning.http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/car-parking-faqs.pdfThis document says they have asked peoples opinions - well I am on their e-mail news list and I certainly did not get a request for comments. I wonder how they got the suggestion from users that it would be a good idea to make people pay parking for a full day visit?Why on earth not pay and display allowing for spaces to be filled later in the day as people leave? Why not allow for part day visits? I never go there for more then a couple of hours and I normally visit on the way to somewhere else.What on earth does car parking to visit a static car park for a visit to our National records have to do with vehicle emissions? I pay these in road tax already! Why three bands and not two for a season ticket? Why free parking for disabled blue badge holders when it is a visit of choice as with all the other visitors? Granted access spaces near to the building are important but what about students, people of low income or me whose car is on the bottom of the middle emissions group? ... ! :-(I can see a need to book a £5 place for 07:00 am and then wander off to do other things (Kew gardens? London shopping? river trip shopping in the small shops around Kew Green? Walk along the river?) then back for a couple of hours to make use of my ticket - the car park closes at 19:30.Just as they are stopping other non-sense projects this should be looked at again.Please!Poppycock,poppycock,poppycock,poppycock,poppycock......
Sarah Felstead ● 5513d2 Comments