2 Hours free parking at Perry Vale has been requested, together with better signage.
13 Likes
Thanks Maja 
Thank you Maja - I really appreciate it.
I’m with you RachelDunlop
In my view the better signage is actually more important than the 2 hour free parking in Perry Vale (although it would be welcome).
With on-going roadworks, decent signage to the two car parks would help prevent clogging of local roads with parked cars and people looking for parking. Hopefully any signage would be permanent.
This is an example of what we need as cars come into Forest Hill from Lordship Lane, Waldram Park, Perry Vale, and Dartmouth Road:
6 Likes
Yes, making people aware is key.
Better signage, together with other measures (such as those I’ve previously suggested) will help businesses here.
After a period of pointing people towards Sainsbury’s car park I believe it will used more, hence, Perry Vale car park will be needed to take the overflow. Plus it will provide an option for people coming in from the other side of the tracks.
3 Likes
This may be too much to hope for… but I’ve seen communities that provide signage with real time notice of # of spaces available from multiple parking sites in the location. That would be cool.
1 Like
Yup too much to hope for I think. There would need to be entry and exit gates to do this.
1 Like
In case (like me) you never knew this option existed:
Pearcefield Avenue car park, which offers 2 hours’ free parking
2 Likes
DO NOT forget to get a ticket even if it is free. It gets very expensive otherwise.
4 Likes
I think the clogging of local roads with people parking and looking for parking will do more than signage or 2 hours free parking to get people to use the local car parks. People will try to park off Dartmouth road, find themselves stuck trying to negotiate their way up and then find they spend 5 minutes looking for a space that is over 5 minutes walk away from Dartmouth Road. It will become quicker and a more pleasant experience to park at Sainsburys or PV and walk.
I occasionally go to Beckenham where the parking sign shown is and I’d say the reason people use the car parks there is no free on-street parking. I think it probably works better for the shops and the local residents as shoppers make the decision to go into town for the shops and a coffee and residents can park on their own streets. I don’t think the Spa as a swimming pool suffers from people having to pay to park there.
There is a lot of parking around Dartmouth Road which residents and shoppers can’t park on because it is taken up by commuters, traders in their silver mercs (okay only one ) and loads of white vans. Should we not be looking at some solution that gets rid of these people as well as well as using our car parks more efficiently?
OOPS, the quote didn’t work. I wanted to highlight a suggestion for 10am-4pm free.
I’m sorry, but I honestly think that anything longer than a 2hr free duration would be counter-productive for the businesses of Forest Hill - i.e the ones who I had targeted to benefit from this idea.
1 Like
Agreed 2 hours would be ideal any longer would mean more Shopping! I would even agree to 50p charge to sweeten the deal, in fact spend more than a tenner and get your 50p refunded
1 Like
Nice idea but that sort of thing works better at somewhere like the Sainsbury’s car park rather than the one on Perry Vale. Sainsbury’s could refund the 50p as you suggest. That’s what they do in Eltham (don’t ask - I’m still in therapy). But the Sainsbury’s car park already gives you two hours free parking, I believe.
If you park in the Perry Vale car park, which of the Forest Hill shops is going to give you the refund?
1 Like
If traders are engaged then any of them, how about a window sign saying we give your 50p back if you spend a tenner. After all this post has been about drawing customers to town. Perry Vale car park would attract footfall to Dartmouth Road as no need to negotiate umpteen crossings just turn left.
2 Likes
I’m just about to email the FHTA exec to arrange a quick meeting before we arrange our next FHTA meeting to go over our agenda etc, so I’ll add this to it
ETA Not a bad idea at all @Wynell 
1 Like
I like your positivity and enthusiasm Wynell.
Your idea is good one but I think it might just be a little difficult to execute. The problem being that the ticket machine would need to give a 2-part ticket, one part being the 50p redeemable voucher.
I’m 100% with you in spirit though.
1 Like
This might be possible by showing receipts from independent shops/cafes/pubs etc though the logistics would be much harder to work out.& probably a lot of paperwork for all of us. But never say never Mr, sure we can look into it & see if it’s a possibility
ETA @Anotherjohn shall I forward your the email I sent & add you to join us to talk to us about your ideas on parking & also because you have offered to pay towards publicity for this xx
Showing them to who? None of our car parks are staffed. @Anotherjohn is right: the local authority car park beside Sainsbury’s in Eltham (ugh) does it that way: a two-part ticket. Sainsbury’s is a big enough retailer it can easily take the hit given that so many of the parked cars are for Sainsbury’s. For the Perry Vale car park, the retailers/restaurants nearest to the car park will bear the ‘hit’ of refunding the parking charges.
Easiest thing to do, I suspect, is to reprogramme the machines for 2 hours free parking.
3 Likes