With the well documented parking problems in the village it may seem bizarre that people think there are too many spaces at The Parade car park. However, some people certainly feel that spaces need to be removed.
At the Parish Council meeting on Monday, 8th September, Cllr Frank Keegan requested that a handful of parking spaces are taken away from The Parade car park to enable vehicles to manoeuvre more freely.
Speaking to the Gareth Hind, Branch Manager at Waitrose, Cllr Keegan said "In the car park just before it was sold on by Bluemantle they put three or four extra spaces in on the corners. They don't meet the requirements of car parking in the sense that they don't allow the traffic chevroned in to reverse. They should be six metres and it really causes enormous blockages in the car park and I wonder if you could look at actually having those taken out because I'm sure it must drive a lot of people away.
"I know a lot of people say they don't come to Alderley Edge any more because A they cannot park and B they can't park properly."
Fraser Pembleton contacted alderleyedge.com yesterday to say "The "Waitrose" car park is a joke! .. There are too many spaces for the size of the area. We have had two cars scraped whilst parked in there in the space of two weeks ( makes shopping expensive at £100 each repair).
"It can take up to ten minutes to either enter or leave! One way in one way out would surely be the best option utilising the service access running alongside the train track as the exit."
Fraser added "I have now avoided shopping at Waitrose as it is easier and safer to drive to Handforth Dean."
Gareth Hind explained that Waitrose has no jurisdiction on that car park but agreed to go back to the landlord through their property services department and make a request.
Share your views on The Parade car park using the comment box below. Do you find it difficult to manoeuvre there and would like to see some spaces removed, or not?
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Taking one space off the end of each of the rows running perpendicular to Waitrose' frontage and/or using the service road to the rear as an exit would sort it.
A one way system would also ease the flow along London Road somewhat.
We NEVER park in this carpark. Maybe during the recent expansion to the store someone should have looked at a whole new layout to the parking area
Anything to help can only be good
However we are talking about Alderley Edge where there are more than average numbers of selfish arrogant types so it would be wise to mark those areas "no parking".
Some would still ignore the markings and simply pay the fine - if caught - but at least most would respect the logic.
Surely this doesn't need a long drawn out process to achieve?
Police deterrent would be better for the people illegally/dangerously parking on roads.
Who can do this? Waitrose and/or the owners of the car park?
Waitrose have been sensitive and helpful to the community since their arrival. The manager of this Waitrose branch is tuned-in to requests, in my experience.
So, if you wish, address your support for the aforementioned removal to Waitrose and I dare say it will happen!
Good luck.
I'm pleased to read that she is lucky enough to own a massive car and a driveway to park it on too, but I'm not sure what relevance this revelation has to the matter.
I'm also confused by the reference to "Drive Thru's" - is this something like McDonald's have? Are they planning one I didn't know about?
And how does the suggestion that policing on-street illegally and or dangerously parked cars address the cramped state of the car park caused by marking out too many parking spaces?
I suspect there may be other issues in Beverley's mind which belong in a rather different debate. But I'd be interested to hear if I'm wrong.