Car parking query

[ady_supra]

Hello all

 

My department relocated from outside of the city to the centre of it over half a year ago and as result of this had to sell my car

 

However i have been investigating areas where it may be possible to park and have found a possible small place where around 6 cars can be parked.

 

Now this small area is just at the end of a road going onto a main town square area and is in between a museum and art gallery and right in the centre of the city and the small parking area belongs to the art gallery. I have had a good look around there for any 'Your car will be clamped/ticketed if you park here' but there are none at all displayed. I have also had a look in the car windows and none of them have parking permits. The other thing i have done is queried it with the car ticket officers and they said that they don't have the power to ticket anyone if they are parking on that small area as it doesn't belong to the council. He also said that the worse which can be done here is that you could get blocked in if a car parks behind you.

 

I could buy a cheap runabout and park it there as its only 1 min walk from my workplace, its best to buy something cheap as you sometimes get lads hanging around there but no cars have ever been broken into as its in a open view kinda area. The next nearest area for free parking is 30 mins walk.

 

If i do start parking there can the art gallery actually do anything, I feel they can't as they havn't displayed any 'Your car will be clamped/ticketed if you park here' there is no mention of it being private property and the cars that do park there never had a parking permit displayed in their windows. I've got a good feeling that at least a couple of cars that do park there don't work for the art gallery as i've seen them park up and the driver walks in the other direction to go to his/her workplace.

 

Any info much appreciated

[supra_aero]

Your membership is due my goodman.

 

Anyway, answering your question, here is how I'd play it (from experience). I'd park there initially sitting in the car for 15 mins around a peak time (9:05am) and see if anyone comes by.

 

Then I'd park it there for 30 mins leaving the car but inconspicuously checking on it every 10 mins; at the same time each day for 1 week - again preferably at 9:05 (so late arrivals if they did have entitlement to the space, you'd soon know about it by their reactions).

 

If after 1 week, if there seems to be no care in the world - extend your stay for 2 hours, then 3, then 4 and so on each day.

 

If after the 2nd week you have had no notes or tickets or anything its "fairly" safe to assume you may be ok.

 

That's how I have discovered many fantastic spaces over the years in city centres

[RedM]

Is this Leeds by any chance?

[Lbm]

Try parking there and if your car gets towed away or clamped, do not repeat.

[martini]

Try parking there and if your car gets towed away or clamped, do not repeat.

 

[ady_supra]

Is this Leeds by any chance?

 

It is mate

Do you know of anything more about this parking situation or know which area i'm talking about?

[ady_supra]

Your membership is due my goodman.

 

Anyway, answering your question, here is how I'd play it (from experience). I'd park there initially sitting in the car for 15 mins around a peak time (9:05am) and see if anyone comes by.

 

Then I'd park it there for 30 mins leaving the car but inconspicuously checking on it every 10 mins; at the same time each day for 1 week - again preferably at 9:05 (so late arrivals if they did have entitlement to the space, you'd soon know about it by their reactions).

 

If after 1 week, if there seems to be no care in the world - extend your stay for 2 hours, then 3, then 4 and so on each day.

 

If after the 2nd week you have had no notes or tickets or anything its "fairly" safe to assume you may be ok.

 

That's how I have discovered many fantastic spaces over the years in city centres

 

 

Do you know of any in Leeds City Centre by any chance, would save me a lot of travel time each day if i was to come by car.

[ady_supra]

Try parking there and if your car gets towed away or clamped, do not repeat.

 

But surely they can't do that if there is no warning signage for non staff parking in this area.

[michael]

Is this Leeds by any chance?

 

I was wondering that, if it is I wouldn't park anywhere that isn't 100% your space, the wardens are monsters and the private clampers are worse. There will be a sign somewhere, it will just be hard to find so they can clamp you

 

Where are we talking about?

 

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=leeds&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.745606,33.662109&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Leeds,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.800174,-1.548809&spn=0.001796,0.004109&t=h&z=18

[RedM]

It is mate

Do you know of anything more about this parking situation or know which area i'm talking about?

 

I know the area and probably wouldn't risk it myself.

[Lbm]

But surely they can't do that if there is no warning signage for non staff parking in this area.

 

They can probably do anything they want.

 

Trouble is if I owned or ran the art gallery and someone was in my space, I'd do something about it. Wouldn't you?

[michael]

When I worked in the centre I had a space in the automated car park on Greek Street, it came with the job and I have no idea how much it cost but it might be worth asking them to see if it works out cheaper than the other options. You can use it on a Saturday too.

 

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=leeds&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.745606,33.662109&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Leeds,+West+Yorkshire,+United+Kingdom&t=h&ll=53.799181,-1.548434&spn=0,359.995891&z=18&layer=c&cbll=53.798381,-1.548411&panoid=qjYHN6xGFoi4yV2mNsidtw&cbp=12,200.54,,0,-24.99

[ady_supra]

I was wondering that, if it is I wouldn't park anywhere that isn't 100% your space, the wardens are monsters and the private clampers are worse. There will be a sign somewhere, it will just be hard to find so they can clamp you

 

Where are we talking about?

 

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=leeds&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.745606,33.662109&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Leeds,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.800174,-1.548809&spn=0.001796,0.004109&t=h&z=18

 

hi mate

At the end of Alexandra Street so you end up where that individual tree is. I think there are a few cars parked there in the map if you zoom in. That is the exact area.

[supra_aero]

I know Bristol, Bath, Glasgow and London for free parking hot spots. Sorry not done Leeds yet.

[Thorin]

When I worked in the centre I had a space in the automated car park on Greek Street, it came with the job and I have no idea how much it cost but it might be worth asking them to see if it works out cheaper than the other options. You can use it on a Saturday too.

 

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=leeds&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.745606,33.662109&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Leeds,+West+Yorkshire,+United+Kingdom&t=h&ll=53.799181,-1.548434&spn=0,359.995891&z=18&layer=c&cbll=53.798381,-1.548411&panoid=qjYHN6xGFoi4yV2mNsidtw&cbp=12,200.54,,0,-24.99

 

I so want to go park in there, it's the coolest car park ever*

 

 

 

*cooler car parks may exist but I've not seen them.

[ady_supra]

I know Bristol, Bath, Glasgow and London for free parking hot spots. Sorry not done Leeds yet.

 

Depends on where abouts in London

I know loads in Bradford though as living there at the moment.

[michael]

hi mate

At the end of Alexandra Street so you end up where that individual tree is. I think there are a few cars parked there in the map if you zoom in. That is the exact area.

 

I know the bit, have parked on that street a couple of times myself but only at night and only in a car I didn't like or worry too much about.

 

The end you are talking about it quite well sighted by people wandering in front of the Henry Moore building but I can't see it being a free for all parking area, someone is going to want some money for such a prime spot.

[ady_supra]

I know the bit, have parked on that street a couple of times myself but only at night and only in a car I didn't like or worry too much about.

 

The end you are talking about it quite well sighted by people wandering in front of the Henry Moore building but I can't see it being a free for all parking area, someone is going to want some money for such a prime spot.

 

There are no marked car parking spaces on it people (which i assume are mainly art gallery staff) just drive on it and park. I've never seen any art gallery staff or security walking around to make sure that the cars to belong to their staff, they just park them and leave them. Surely using common sense staff should be issued with parking permits.

 

Before i relocated, i had a parking permit when i used to work on the outskirts of the city and that including an electronic fob to raise the iron bar and all cars were monitored by security throughout the whole day. By some chance if anybody did manage to sneak in they would be clamped there and then.

[ady_supra]

Seems like a couple of peeps have already picked up on this, they may have read it on this forum, somebody may have got the message across or they may have picked up on it just as i did as been around to the parking area today and yesterday (in the morning and mid afternoon) and there is a modified Corsa parked (03 plate) up and an imported EK9 Civic VTI.

 

Don't think they would belong to someone working in an art gallery and none of them had any tickets, warnings or wheel clamps on them.

[michael]

Put tickets on them yourself and minimise the number of people you'll have to fight for spaces the next day

[Meko]

buy a right crappy pile of crap and park it there for a few days. If it gets towed / clamped / ticketed, leave it there and don't park another one there.

[ady_supra]

buy a right crappy pile of crap and park it there for a few days. If it gets towed / clamped / ticketed, leave it there and don't park another one there.

 

Thats what i'm thinking of doing, but most of the crap cars i see tend to have little or no tax and test. By the time i get one, a lot more people would have clicked onto this prime parking spot and will probs be turning up at 6:00am just to get a free parking spot there. Like i said a couple of people have already caught on to this

[michael]

I suspect a few million people are already aware of this space, Leeds has been there a while, don't panic, just have a plan B or get there early

[Meko]

Thats what i'm thinking of doing, but most of the crap cars i see tend to have little or no tax and test. By the time i get one, a lot more people would have clicked onto this prime parking spot and will probs be turning up at 6:00am just to get a free parking spot there. Like i said a couple of people have already caught on to this

 

 

park there and when you leave at night put a clamping sign up. Take it down when you park there and repeat daily. Anybody who turns up before you will see that clampers have moved in.

[ady_supra]

park there and when you leave at night put a clamping sign up. Take it down when you park there and repeat daily. Anybody who turns up before you will see that clampers have moved in.

 

I think there is CCTV up around that area which goes around in a circular motion. Putting a sign up will defo arise suspicions that others are parking there that shouldn't be and i don't think the Council will take to that in a friendly way.