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Shetland's airports (and parking)


breeksy
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The charge is being introduced without any prior warning or consultations with either politicians or the wider community.

 

Meanwhile we learn from the MD of HIAL that the company "is committed to being open and transparent in its operations"

 

Don't you just love this stuff? Do universities now run degree courses in CorporateSpeak?

Nah, he’ll just have attended an away day, brain storming session with joined up blue sky thinking and a helicopter view (forgive the pun),forgetting to touch base with the general public and interested parties.

He forgot to cascade the information and get all his ducks in a row with this one...

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No matter where one goes nowadays down south,there are extortionate parking rates so it was almost inevitable that it  would eventually find its way here.

 

The proposed charges at Sumburgh airport are indeed very modest in comparison to other airports that I have Googled,but to me an airport is an airport whether International or not,and Sumburgh from time to time do have flights across to Norway.!

 

As time goes by watch the prices rise to match the charges at other airports.

 

Yes! the way this was announced beggars believe but HIAL has us by the short and curlys ,knowing their is little we can do. I've signed the petition but I might as well *art for all the good it will do.

 

LPA /Harbour Board may well be two different entities but they are peeing in the same pot as far as I am concerned and out to make money so if they see Sumburgh Airport being successful difficult to see that they will not follow suit.

Edited by Urabug
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I guess HIAL see it as a cash cow, and alas it's been coming for a while.

 

Parking down there at times is a free for all with cars parked inconsiderately blocking other parked cars from moving, not to mention parking on the roadside a quarter of the way down to Grutness Pier, which will be the norm from now on.

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No matter where one goes nowadays down south,there are extortionate parking rates so it was almost inevitable that it  would eventually find its way here.

 

The proposed charges at Sumburgh airport are indeed very modest in comparison to other airports that I have Googled,but to me an airport is an airport whether International or not,and Sumburgh from time to time do have flights across to Norway.!

 

As time goes by watch the prices rise to match the charges at other airports.

 

Yes! the way this was announced beggars believe but HIAL has us by the short and curlys ,knowing their is little we can do. I've signed the petition but I might as well *art for all the good it will do.

 

LPA /Harbour Board may well be two different entities but they are peeing in the same pot as far as I am concerned and out to make money so if they see Sumburgh Airport being successful difficult to see that they will not follow suit.

They tried this before and it was pushed back, I hope the same can be done again - we paid for the bloody car park after all! 

 

As for the LPA/Harbour Board I am not sure what you are on about. The Harbour Board has ZERO input into what goes on at Holmsgarth, the Victoria Pier etc - that is all the LPA. AFAIK the only heavily used public car parks the Harbour Board may control are the ones at inter island ferry terminals and there will be absolute hell on if they start trying to charge for those, I would make sure of it!  :twisted: 

 

 

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@ whalsa - it's a lot cheaper than parking at the pier, that's for sure.

 

I can see both sides.  Many a time I've been down the airport before 6am and found the main car parks full and even with few spaces in the overfill car park.  Gone are the days of the majority of folk dropping them off.  These days, it isn't uncommon to see a two car family going away on their hols to take BOTH cars to the airport and leave them there.

 

Hospital patients will be exempt.

 

Will staff be exempt?

 

So will this lead to an increase in folk taking cabs?

 

Out of interest, if you don't think £3 is a reasonable amount, what do you deem to be a reasonable amount?  If you believe there shouldn't be a charge at all, how would you address the current parking problems at the airport?

Haha Ok maybe commenting on what the LPA will or won't do was a bad idea! 

 

Certainly there are people being inconsiderate and there is a problem with capacity. Personally I always try to find an alternate method but when you live a long distance away it is difficult to find an affordable alternative.

 

I am not sure what a reasonable amount would be, preferably zero. However, the most galling thing about this whole situation is how HIAL have just blatantly ignored the various stakeholders - that cannot be allowed. Much of these questions would be answered with a proper consultation. Perhaps there are other options which do not involve piling further charges on already disadvantaged islanders. 

 

Possibly I am being cynical but I believe that now that Sumburgh Airport is almost certain to go ahead with parking charges,and seeing that the parking problems at Holmsgarth are of a similar nature  from time to time, is it not showing a bit of foresight to form a conclusion that the same may happen here at the ferry also..

 

Guess not to many folk are concerned though from the lack of comments .

 

Parking charges wherever they occur will be another financial burden on many who can ill afford it.

 

Lets try and stop the spread of this money grabbing idea spreading elsewhere in Shetland if we can.

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Bonanza time approaches - Most thrifty people will park in the peripherals outside the "pay" barriers and chaos will commence - I've just registered Shetland's first Clamping Company to make sure I'm prepared to reap the(ir) benefits.  

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  • 4 weeks later...

“Parking charges wherever they occur will be another financial burden on many who can ill afford it.”

 

If you can afford two weeks in Tenerife or a weekend on the p*ss in Aberdeen then you can afford 3 pound a day.

 

It’s really just typical Shetland wanting something for nothing.

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If you can afford two weeks in Tenerife or a weekend on the p*ss in Aberdeen then you can afford 3 pound a day.

 

I wonder just how many can afford a fortnight in Tenerife? Not that it matters as the majority of us need to use the airport now and again, regardless.

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ECWC1972 has a point I suppose, though I can't say I like the new charges. Everything is relative,

if you go into an Edinburgh pub for a pint it can easily cost you a fiver.

So I suppose the parking can cost you less than a pint of beer a day, or in some cases maybe a half.

Doesn't sound like much if you put it that way.

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ECWC1972 has a point I suppose, though I certainly don't like the idea of the new charges.

 

If you go into an Edinburgh pub for a pint it can easily cost you a fiver. So a day's parking can

cost you less than a pint a day, or in some cases maybe a half pint.

 

Doesn't sound like much if you put it that way, does it?

 

Perhaps if a long holiday you could pay a friend to run you, and ease the pressure on the car park!

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There's no such thing as a free car park. WE had to pay for its construction, and now its upkeep along with the responsibilities of running one. Also as HIAL is a publicly owned company so any income it generates comes back to the Scottish taxpayer.

They (British Airways) stopped running buses because hardly anybody used them. The council run a bus service for the locals which happens to stop at the airport. However it can't wait for airline passengers who are not waiting for it, because local people rely on the bus service to get to work and shop etc. However if enough people were to use the bus service then it is possible that a dedicated airport bus service could be put in place. There are an incredible number of people that a) leave their car long term and B) frequently nip away for weekends.(There are a lot of people up here with plenty disposable income.) 

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However if enough people were to use the bus service then it is possible that a dedicated airport bus service could be put in place. There are an incredible number of people that a) leave their car long term and B) frequently nip away for weekends.(There are a lot of people up here with plenty disposable income.)

 

It’s not as simple as that, where will the bus leave from and return to, No doubt Lerwick, so if you live anywhere else you need to use the car to get to the bus.

 

If I stayed, in say Weisdale, there won’t be a service to Sumburgh to meet my flight and if your going to use your car to Lerwick, you might as well do the whole run. Plus I think the bus cost might be as much as the parking cost.

 

My worry is that once they introduce this cost it won’t stay at £3 for very long, everytime their budgets don’t balance they will bung the cost up.

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