Forum Topic

Free Airport parking...in Brentford

Nice to come home from holiday and find my street chocked with cars.Cars it seems that no-one in the street owns. Another neighbour and a friend in an adjoining street mentioned the same in the pub on Saturday after the game.Then a local joined in and said it's because the streets are being used to park holidaymakers cars. That one or two less scrupulous services are oversubscribed and shifting less valuable cars out of their compounds for a  week or so and parking them in 'safe' residential roads within a 10 mile radius of Heathrow.  This could figure as most of the cars are older or mid range and several are parked bumper to bumper. We also noticed that some stay put 7 days and go in the small hours.Is this true? Has anyone else noticed this in their streets?  Seems to be most apparent in streets around Griffin Park.

Michael Brandt ● 5100d7 Comments

Well that's what I was thinking but apparently most streets have driveways and very little parking and the vehicle crime is higher. So at least Brentford scores a point for a change!Maybe they have filed those areas too and we are the overflow for the peak weeks?

Michael Brandt ● 5096d

Michael - I don't want to knock your theory about Heathrow parking firms using your road to cope with overbooking, but surely they would use roads in Bedfont or Cranford which are much closer to the sirport? There's a lot of fairly quiet roads there without driving to Brentford where the parking levels seem to be much higher.

Jon Baker ● 5097d

Right Keith, interesting bit in the paper yesterday about how many people regard the space outside their house as 'theirs' and woe betide anyone who parks in said space. I can imagine people are annoyed if this is going on in their street but I doubt there's anything can be done about it. Although I don't wish it on anyone what excuse would be offered if one of these vehicles was robbed/broken into/damaged?

Vanessa Smith ● 5099d

"several are parked bumper to bumper"That's a telling sign certainly suggesting Free Airport Parking.I noticed Burford Road (leading to Green Dragon Lane) being chockers too.. causing two-way traffic to be nigh on impossible.Quite separately, the Great West Quarter now has some 300 flats occupied and not all car-owners there can afford to pay for the underground parking there. Parking outside the long line of apartments is forbidden it seems.When students and others return to the Paragon Site (University of West London) after the holidays the problem could well get worse! There are 400 apartments there and over half are occupied by eight adult students each!

Jim Lawes ● 5099d

If they are taxed they are entitled to be parked on any street without parking restrictions,however inconvenient.

Keith Iddon ● 5099d

Report them as dumped cars and see if the police contact the owner who will then find out what has been done with their car.

Tracy Burke ● 5099d

Sounds plausible. I wonder how the owners would feel if they knew, when they are paying for their car to be kept in a compound, or so they think.

Susan Kelly ● 5099d