The Vale of White Horse District Council have budgeted quite a lot of money in the next couple of years on car park improvements. They will invest £2,000,000 in expanding car park capacity throughout the Vale in next year’s budget. And this year are spending £150,000 improving the public conveniences in the Abingdon Charter Car Park, and £800,000 to transform the appearance and extend the serviceable life of the car park itself.
The Vale invested £320,000 in 2006 on refurbishment and prolonging the usefulness of the Charter Car Park.
So it will be interesting what more will be done this year to improve this facility ten years on.
This will be the one that Aberdeen Asset Management reneged on their commitment over…and the Vale has just allowed them to get away with it scot-free…as they allowed them to get away with “tarting up” the precinct to no real effect! Time to kick AAM out and get someone in who is actually interested in bringing the vibrancy back to the town! Come on The Vale…grow a pair!
As vehicle widths grow (side airbags, increasing body sizes and hence seat widths), it is to be hoped that parking spaces will be matched.
That said, we do get two hours free parking in Abingdon. Try that in Oxford!
Having it open longer in the evenings would also help.
Why make expensive adjustments for increasingly obese vehicles ?
Cue rant about Chelsea Tractors (that never go off-road) in small towns …
If the town wants to move with the times, and attract more people be they townsfolk or visitors, this area desperately needs the planned work. Both the car park and the adjoining toilets are a disgrace. Constant reference to various Asset Management Companies has proved ineffective, get rid of them by all means, but don’t rely to much on the promised £50 million development, its not going to happen. Given the present traffic conditions maybe that’s a blessing in disguise.
Bottom line is there just isn’t enough parking places in town. Parking “over the bridge” is too far and too remote during winter, Abbey Close car parks are always full as is West St Helens car park, we have no traffic warden and our PCSO’s seem reluctant to ticket the huge amount of cars on yellow lines in Bath street and Lombard St and of course the taxi’s parked in the lay-by’s around the war memorial, I think the Vale should hold a public consultation on the subject? Not least to solve the issue of workers in town blocking all the estate and side roads as near to town as possible, I would like to see Rye farm car park extended and made available exclusively to workers at a sensible, perhaps peppercorn rate?
The Upper Reaches site would make a convenient new car park!
…with all the issues that are affecting our town, its prosperity, and its morale…it is depressing that this is happening at all, let alone it should be considered a good thing, or, heaven forfend…we should be grateful.
Either the powers that be are stupid; or they think we are.
Shocking.
‘ this year are spending £150,000 improving the public conveniences in the Abingdon Charter Car Park,’ about time too – they are an utter disgrace.
We don’t need to widen the spaces – people should be encouraged to drive smaller cars.
We need less space for taxis.
We need a traffic warden to hand out tickets to commercial vehicles parked on disabled bays and to cars on pavements!
We need parking in Wilsham Road limited to four hours, unless a resident; the same outside the Anchor pub.
I agree with comment number 2 above: the parking spaces seem much too narrow (perhaps it’s only my advancing age!?)
I agree with Peter Del. Any improvements to the public conveniences in the Abingdon Charter Car Park are very welcome. I am afraid though that you cannot stop progress and people seem to want to drive huge people carriers. I only have a second hand car. I would not want a brand new car as it is a nightmare parking anywhere. There is not enough space and people carelessly fling open their car doors and make dents in peoples doors parked alongside of them.
Having had customers visit our office from “out of town” today they were amazed at the 2 free hours,
Well then, credit where credit’s due. Those council bods clearly know what they are up to after all….if “out of Towner’s” are amazed by 2hrs free parking….they’re gonna be blown away by a revamped carpark!!!
There’s hope for Abingdon yet!!!
Did I read that right ? £150k to renovate two toilets ?? that’s an absurd amount of money and I suggest someone is seriously taking the p### out of the vale instead of out of the toilets !!
C’mon captain, you know better than that…if anyone is going to be advised that something is going to cost an inordinate amount of money, it’s The Veil. And…if anyone is going to actually then agree to pay that inordinate amount of money…well…its The Veil.
These ARE the people who pay £500,000 a year for the upkeep of the white lines in the car parks.
But still…let’s be grateful. Sweetness and light, and all things bright.
Re: Point (8) above.
Spot on, Dan.
They shouldn’t be allowed to spend other peoples’ money.
Hubris will get the inepts in the end.
I would dearly love to see the tender details for the loo work, i.e who submitted tenders? What was the specification laid down? who made the decision to approve the coatings on behalf of the Vale?
Spike: while I understand the dig at “Chelsea tractors”, they are for some people a very good deal – I don’t own one!
My point, however, was that cars have grown in width because of side airbags and the like. For example, my wife’s VW Polo (on a 10 plate) is wider than an original Mark 1 Golf. The garage built for our house in South Abingdon is seven foot wide. You could drive the Polo in, but you won’t be able to open the doors.
Whether we like it or not, safety features have menat an increase in vehicle widths. The old standard slots in car parks were set long before current vehicles were built.
Hence, wider parking spaces are needed. The clock doesn’t go backwards…
It still irritates me when using this car park that the long stay permit holders are on the lower levels. Surely the permits should be for the roof and the prime spaces for us citizens?
Seems to be a bit like the ‘revamp’ of the loos in Oxford. In the press how wonderful Market Street and Gloucester Green will be, the budget available. Cutting ribbons to declare them open….The ‘books/library shelf in Market Street is empty, the toilet seat covers recepticle is always empty. Gloucester Green Bus Station has been closed for further work, to rectify the bad workmanship, (snagging I think they call it now). Looking forward to high spec loos in Abingdon.
Shame the funding for the ‘tardis toilets’ ended. They were most useful East/West St Helens Car Park end.
I guess, safety features have got “bigger”, and so it follows that cars have also got bigger. Bigger cars mean bigger parking spaces. If Abingdon has an underused car par that is too small…it is only fitting that a lot of money is found to create an equally underused car park – only bigger.
Captain, I have submitted some FOIs regarding this revamp as well as spending £150,000 refurbing some toilets.
Once I have some answers I’ll ask the ladies and men at Abingdon First if they want to post them as those boy and girls seem interested in hosting “answers”. I’ll likely hijack a post on here just to say that the answers are “up”…apologies in advance. Then, anyone who is interested can take a look. Of course, some people choose to avoid Abingdon First, so they won’t know the answers…but those who are interested can at least find out. I get the impression captain that you are interested….
Just a thought
Why doesn’t the council use a Community Toilet Scheme? Such as the one used by the City of London?
This would save £150,000 on improving the existing toilets, increase footfall for the premises who agree to it and offer them financial incentives.
There could even be a map highlighting where such toilets are.
Richard, this scheme was suggested by the last Lib/Dem council but was poo hoed (ha ha) by businesses that were approached!
…and I would have no doubt that The Veil would spend far more than £150,000 on maps!
People should be encouraged to drive smaller cars? Really??? The size of a mini in 2016 is 68 inches in width. Compare that to a mid 1970’s Ford Cortina which had a width of 67 inches. It’s only an inch different but we are talking about a mini.
The car park can no longer provide adequate spaces for modern cars. When the car park was built a family with 4 children didn’t need a ‘people carrier’ as you could just get 4 kids in the back seat. Not allowed now, hence the need for bigger cars.
Thanks for the reply, I’m surprised it’s taken this long for any toilet gags
At least the idea has been looked into before more money is flushed away
I went shopping in Witney this morning…they have a multi storey car park that’s in a different league.
All they need to do at the Charter is repaint the lines on the floor so that only 2 cars park between the pillars.
Then put someone back in the office on the ground floor full time to monitor the place and be helpful to people who are from out of town.
Witney also offers some areas (quite central) where four hours parking is free.
A ‘central’ and free town parking policy would go a long way to forward Abingdon’s fortunes…..
The “popinability” factor would do wonders.
Ah well….the flowers look good though…
Go visit Bicester town multi storey car park – it’s great! Wide spaces, each bay has a red/green light above it letting you know if it’s free or not without having to drive up that lane ………. oooh and a travelator between levels – such a pleasure to go visit!
Phew…nearly off the first page; then we can get back to the fluffy stuff…
Maybe we will have all these goodies, and more post refurb, but we can only guess as the work to be carried out is top secret, and requires an FOI enquiry to find out. More cloak and dagger goings on in our fair Town.