I am familiar with the ongoing debate featured in the Epsom Guardian regarding parking in Epsom and read a while back that the council were intending on lowering car parking fees in order to entice more customers to Epsom.
After shopping in Epsom today, I went to the Ashley centre pay station. Two older ladies were apologising to the building queue behind them as they rattled about the bottom of their bag for changed. However I then noticed why they were causing a queue, their parking fee was more than expected.
They had been in the car park for 5 hours 8 minutes (as displayed on the screen of the pay machine), What angered me so much is not the price - which is £5 for up to 5 hours stay in the Ashley Centre car park and £10 for an up to 6 hour stay - but the fact that for an extra 8 minutes in the car park they had been charged another £5.00, I think that an extra £5.00 for 8 minutes is so wrong!
Although the ladies didn't question the fee and just tried to pay as quickly they could it made me think on my journey home the words "up to" need some boundaries. For example, if they had been there for say 5 hours 31 minutes then in theory they are closer to staying 6 hours therefore up to 6 hours is an acceptable parking charge, but for another 8 minutes is ridiculous. Maybe the car park could have a half past or before half past rule that determines which up to the hour you meet?
Felicity
via email
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