Topic ID 6388
With the proposed parking permits soon to be introduced in Port vale and port hill; and a number empty shops…..soon to include Hertfordshire Graphics :(. I was wondering how the parking restrictions and Hertford’s parking attendants have affected everyone’s shopping habits.
Reply ID 85722
Until you know where people are driving from and why, it's difficult to assess whether it's the problem at all. Waitrose, Tesco and M&S all have adjacent car parks, as will the new Sainsbury. So, what is being sold in Hertford that is so heavy and cumbersome? Are all these cars from outlying villages? In a town in which you can walk from end to end in thirty minutes and has seen extensive pedestrianisation to encourage that, why is parking still percieved as a problem? Who is using up all the spaces? The parking scam of Bengeo displaces retail workers, not shoppers. Residents leave for work, local workers take the spaces. In the evening, the reverse happens. It works very well.
Reply ID 85723
I was wondering how the parking restrictions and Hertford’s parking attendants have affected everyone’s shopping habits. It is not the parking restrictions or the traffic wardens that affect shoppers in Hertford, but rather the sheer number of cars on the road. A few years ago in St Albans, due a council glitch, no parking restrictions were enforced for many months. Do you think the result was: a, shopping nirvana or b, town centre gridlock http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2004/aug/18/localgovernment.transportintheuk "But on a Saturday morning all you hear is 'Beeeeeeeep!' constantly between nine and 12, with cars just hitting the horns to try and get through. There's no control, it's affecting trade."
Reply ID 85724
I defiantly don’t buy as much in Hertford as I used to and for me personally its because I never drive into Hertford town anymore, not that there’s not enough parking, or traffic issues but because Hertford’s the only place I have ever got parking tickets, one of which was in the Waitrose Car Park for being 6 minutes late. I drive and park far more often in other towns including Ware and have never had tickets. As a result If I need more than I can carry from Waitrose I go to W.G. city. The mileage over there is far cheaper than a ticket and less stressful than worrying if I’m stuck in a queue that I’m going to be a few minutes late and getting a parking ticket; then while there I will often nip to other shops. I am also more likely now to nip to shops or the bank in other towns when driving home from work and I normally always then stop in other shops too. I love living in Hertford but it’s not somewhere I often buy much anymore. I’m not suggesting no parking wardens but maybe just a little less zealous and a bit more reasonable. It seems to work in other towns. I’m sure there’s other factors but Ware, Hoddesdon and Stevenage old town don’t have as many empty shops as Hertford.
Reply ID 85725
quote:Hoddesdon?? Seriously???
Originally posted by hearts
I’m sure there’s other factors but Ware, Hoddesdon and Stevenage old town don’t have as many empty shops as Hertford.
Reply ID 85727
quote:Apart from the old Coop department store, virtually all of the empty shops in Hoddesdon are concentrated in the Tower Centre - which is soon to be turned into a Morrisons.
Originally posted by Stevequote:Hoddesdon?? Seriously???
Originally posted by hearts
I’m sure there’s other factors but Ware, Hoddesdon and Stevenage old town don’t have as many empty shops as Hertford.
Reply ID 85728
quote:I can't! Takes me 20 minutes to walk from my nearest station to my house. 45 minutes from the other station. You must walk blooming fast! I have a very convenient bus service and I can afford the parking. but I almost never go into town. Reason is that I work during the week and I absolutely detest crowds so I will do anything to shop somewhere there are less crowds. Also have nothing I need to buy in town apart from occasional gifts.
Originally posted by shunt
In a town in which you can walk from end to end in thirty minutes
Reply ID 85729
Let me confess to being exceptionally lazy and using my car just because of that [:0] In my defence - and in common with most of Hertford - my return journey from town involves a steep hill which is not great with several bags and the invariable bottle of wine or two. However, the Tesco car park carve up and the unavailability of Bircherley Green will probably send me to the Brookfield or Welwyn. The half hour spaces dotted about are not numerous enough and half an hour is not really long enough to guarantee you will be back in time as you can't predict queues in the pharmacy/bank/shop or whatever you have "nipped" in for.
Reply ID 85730
quote:The retail units that form the northern part of The Tower Centre are being retained (before you go down the steps). If memory serves, there are quite a few empty units in Fawkon Walk as well. Sadly, Meadows in the High Street has failed to re-open. I'm not sure how many retail units there are in Ware and Hoddesdon, but I'd speculate it's less than Hertford, which has around 250, with a vacancy rate around half the national average.
Originally posted by Deverauxquote:Apart from the old Coop department store, virtually all of the empty shops in Hoddesdon are concentrated in the Tower Centre - which is soon to be turned into a Morrisons.
Originally posted by Stevequote:Hoddesdon?? Seriously???
Originally posted by hearts
I’m sure there’s other factors but Ware, Hoddesdon and Stevenage old town don’t have as many empty shops as Hertford.
Reply ID 85733
the mercury recently ran an article about hoddesdon doing particularly well. I must admit, like Steve I was susprised. Maybe confirmation of what is finally happening with the tower centre helped.
Reply ID 85734
quote:Could you not just pay an extra £0.25 to cover the potential for being late? I often see people get mad on the folly when they receive tickets, I am glad that they received them because they will not do it again. There are always spaces on the higher levels of the big multi story. Also is Tescos not free for shoppers? You do not get tickets if you do not do anything wrong.
Originally posted by hearts
I defiantly don’t buy as much in Hertford as I used to and for me personally its because I never drive into Hertford town anymore, not that there’s not enough parking, or traffic issues but because Hertford’s the only place I have ever got parking tickets, one of which was in the Waitrose Car Park for being 6 minutes late. I drive and park far more often in other towns including Ware and have never had tickets. As a result If I need more than I can carry from Waitrose I go to W.G. city. The mileage over there is far cheaper than a ticket and less stressful than worrying if I’m stuck in a queue that I’m going to be a few minutes late and getting a parking ticket; then while there I will often nip to other shops. I am also more likely now to nip to shops or the bank in other towns when driving home from work and I normally always then stop in other shops too. I love living in Hertford but it’s not somewhere I often buy much anymore. I’m not suggesting no parking wardens but maybe just a little less zealous and a bit more reasonable. It seems to work in other towns. I’m sure there’s other factors but Ware, Hoddesdon and Stevenage old town don’t have as many empty shops as Hertford.
Reply ID 85735
quote:If you want to avoid the crowds, surely you should be shopping in Hertford?[:(]
Originally posted by Kateg28quote:I can't! Takes me 20 minutes to walk from my nearest station to my house. 45 minutes from the other station. You must walk blooming fast! I have a very convenient bus service and I can afford the parking. but I almost never go into town. Reason is that I work during the week and I absolutely detest crowds so I will do anything to shop somewhere there are less crowds. Also have nothing I need to buy in town apart from occasional gifts.
Originally posted by shunt
In a town in which you can walk from end to end in thirty minutes
Reply ID 85737
quote:25p? It's 80p for the first hour or £1.50 for two, so that's 70p extra.
Originally posted by Louis M
Could you not just pay an extra £0.25 to cover the potential for being late?
Reply ID 85738
Further to my earlier post, there are about 160 retail units in Hoddesdon. The changes at The Tower Centre will see this reduced by about 40. The resulting retail capacity in Hoddesdon will be around half that of Hertford, making it easier to fill IMHO.
Reply ID 85740
get real people Hertford shops are dead because there is nothing special about them...not because of the parking!!!!80p/1.50 no big shakes if you're spending above 20 quid...this is an excellent forum and should be used by the town council/local business to promote the town centre and its historic buildings...maybe then you'd have good competition in town in the form of decent shops...just an idea...maybe a group of local businesses get together manage a town twitter site and start promoting Hertford...Google Hertford and read these comments and town will remain empty...
Reply ID 85743
quote:In that case..... Hertford is a great town with plenty of excellent shops, pubs and restaurants, but which is unfortunately populated by a bunch of lazy so and sos who can't be bothered to walk, even from the two huge and FREE car parks situated less than 5 minutes from the town centre!
Originally posted by teddylad
...Google Hertford and read these comments and town will remain empty...
Reply ID 85744
quote:Where are these hidden gems?
Originally posted by dennismoorequote:In that case..... Hertford is a great town with plenty of excellent shops, pubs and restaurants, but which is unfortunately populated by a bunch of lazy so and sos who can't be bothered to walk, even from the two huge and FREE car parks situated less than 5 minutes from the town centre!
Originally posted by teddylad
...Google Hertford and read these comments and town will remain empty...
Reply ID 85746
I would have thought "Tesco" and "Wickes" carparks,these are free for at least 2 hours or maybe 3?
Reply ID 85747
quote:[url="http://shopping.hertford.net"]shopping.hertford.net[/url]
Originally posted by teddylad
get real people Hertford shops are dead because there is nothing special about them...not because of the parking!!!!80p/1.50 no big shakes if you're spending above 20 quid...this is an excellent forum and should be used by the town council/local business to promote the town centre and its historic buildings...maybe then you'd have good competition in town in the form of decent shops...just an idea...maybe a group of local businesses get together manage a town twitter site and start promoting Hertford...Google Hertford and read these comments and town will remain empty...
Reply ID 85748
quote:Hertford is about three miles across. Perhaps I was a little inaccurate by not including periferals like Foxholes, but 45 minutes should get you across town passing through the town centre in any direction.
Originally posted by Kateg28quote:I can't! Takes me 20 minutes to walk from my nearest station to my house. 45 minutes from the other station. You must walk blooming fast! I have a very convenient bus service and I can afford the parking. but I almost never go into town. Reason is that I work during the week and I absolutely detest crowds so I will do anything to shop somewhere there are less crowds. Also have nothing I need to buy in town apart from occasional gifts.
Originally posted by shunt
In a town in which you can walk from end to end in thirty minutes
Reply ID 85753
I am quite happy to walk, problem arises if I have a bulky item to carry, going up Porthill is, in itself, hard and although I consider myself fit, not everybody is! Parking and the cost of it is a very emotive issue. I do think its not designed to attract shoppers, I go to WGC regularly and find I will pay more, but only for what i use, I like pay on exit and it works and is fair to all. I try and walk for my health and because I like it, but there are times I need to have a boot of a car to stock up.... parking can and is making our town hard to attract new shoppers from outside the area or from neighbouring villages and towns...
Reply ID 85766
Nothing to do with the lack of shops. Obviously.
Reply ID 85774
Some years ago, Hertford was without any traffic wardens at all - for about a year. Unsurprisingly people behaved pretty sensibly on the whole, didn't block up roads with daft parking and there wasn't grid lock. Shops reported big increases in revenue too. The council need to ask themselves if they exist to be of use to the traders and residents of the town or simply see us all as cash cows supporting their bloated bureaucracy ..
Reply ID 85775
But,when there were no traffic wardens,you could not use the on-street parking,because residents and town workers used the spaces and parked all day. Also ,if you came into town in the evening,it was difficult to navigate your way through because of all the badly and illegaly parked cars,which quite often blocked the way through for buses and delivery vans.
Reply ID 85776
quote:I think you may be wearing rose tinted glasses http://www.hertford.net/yoursay/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=28 http://www.hertford.net/yoursay/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=28
Originally posted by AGJB
Some years ago, Hertford was without any traffic wardens at all - for about a year. Unsurprisingly people behaved pretty sensibly on the whole, didn't block up roads with daft parking and there wasn't grid lock. Shops reported big increases in revenue too. The council need to ask themselves if they exist to be of use to the traders and residents of the town or simply see us all as cash cows supporting their bloated bureaucracy ..
Reply ID 85784
quote:There are some fierce inclines, it's true. Port Hill certainly leaves me weazing at the top! Gallows Hill and Welwyn Road are slightly less of a challenge but still a good workout. Saves on gym membership though. [;)]
Originally posted by Drama Queen
I am quite happy to walk, problem arises if I have a bulky item to carry, going up Porthill is, in itself, hard and although I consider myself fit, not everybody is! Parking and the cost of it is a very emotive issue. I do think its not designed to attract shoppers, I go to WGC regularly and find I will pay more, but only for what i use, I like pay on exit and it works and is fair to all. I try and walk for my health and because I like it, but there are times I need to have a boot of a car to stock up.... parking can and is making our town hard to attract new shoppers from outside the area or from neighbouring villages and towns...
Reply ID 85787
Yes, me puffing like a steam engine is not a great thing, but seriously, I can and do take heavy packages by foot, but I had a printer to carry the other day and that was just a step too far. I could try the 333 bus, but as anyone in Bengeo knows, that old fat, Optare thing struggles to get up Porthill itself, let alone with passengers on and shopping [:D]
Reply ID 85793
quote:I take it that printer is a piece of hardware as opposed to a person. [:D]
Originally posted by Drama Queen
Yes, me puffing like a steam engine is not a great thing, but seriously, I can and do take heavy packages by foot, but I had a printer to carry the other day and that was just a step too far. I could try the 333 bus, but as anyone in Bengeo knows, that old fat, Optare thing struggles to get up Porthill itself, let alone with passengers on and shopping [:D]
Reply ID 85795
Ha, I never thought of that! No an inanimate object... although as DQ has an ex who was a printer maybe he ought to be classed as inanimate too!! Whoops contraversial!!![:D]