What you can do to deter unauthorised parking and free up spaces for visitors, members and employees.
Those in the health and leisure sector know that there are rarely any quiet times throughout the year. Yes, January is a peak month, as people make good on their New Year resolutions and prioritise their health and wellness. But March and April are busy too, with people getting ready for summer, and so are September and October, as everyone returns to their post-holiday routines.
If you’re a gym, sports club, leisure centre or beauty spa/studio, this means you’ll need to manage your car park all year round, to ensure there’s adequate spaces for your visitors (and staff) to leave their vehicles. If they can’t park due to non-customers taking up spaces, they’ll have to wait for someone to leave or find parking elsewhere, which can be a frustrating experience – frustrating enough for people to leave negative reviews online because of ‘parking nightmares’.
It really happens! Here are a few examples we spotted recently on Tripadvisor and Trustpilot.
This one-star review is for a leisure centre in Sheffield: “Last few times I’ve been I’ve had to circle around and around for parking. One time I had to cancel my reservation and another time I had to park on the pavement outside the complex…”
And here’s one for a busy gym in Bournemouth: “Car park always full! People parking outside the white lines so a squeeze to get through. Unable to park so couldn’t use the gym…”
Finally, here’s a review for a spa based in Merchant’s Quay: “The only one complaint is the parking. We spent half an hour driving round the car park waiting till someone came out. We have a blue badge and work vans were using the blue badge spaces…”
How to prevent nuisance parking and enhance the experience for genuine visitors
If you are experiencing issues with nuisance parking then unfortunately you’re not alone. According to our data, businesses in the fitness, health and leisure sector are in the top 10 when it comes to experiencing parking violations.
But there are steps you can take to prevent abuse.
- Identify the cause of the problem: If random vehicles are hogging spaces in your car park, begin by asking yourself if there’s a specific reason why? Can people park for free in your car park, while surrounding car parks require payment? Do people use your car park when visiting nearby businesses, as theirs is always full? We recommend observing your car park for a few days and seeing if there are any noticeable patterns.
- Speak to the authorities: Unauthorised parking on private land is a civil dispute and not a criminal offence, so the power of your local authorities is limited. However, if you believe that a vehicle has been abandoned in your car park, you can report it to your local council and they’ll advise on the next steps. In addition, if the vehicle is untaxed, you can report it to the DVLA and they will look to remove it.
- Speak to the driver: If you notice repeat offenders, try and resolve the problem by speaking to the driver. You may discover they didn’t think they were doing anything wrong or causing your business any problems. If you’re not able to – or would rather not – confront the driver, why not leave a short, polite note on their window screen, explaining the issue?
- Display clear signage: Use signs to communicate your parking conditions. This could be a simple notice stating “Parking strictly for members/clients only”. You could also display a sign inside your premises in a prominent position? For example: “Onsite parking is limited – please do not abuse this provision”. We’ve written a separate blog about the importance of signs in car park management.
- Introduce ANPR technology: Our recommended solution to authorised parking is to introduce car park enforcement measures. This involves using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to monitor every vehicle that visits your site. Parking can remain free, but only for a limited time period (“Maximum Stay Parking”), or only if visitors register their vehicle for free parking (“Authorised Parking”). To deter misuse, anyone who overstays the time limit or fails to register their vehicle is issued with a PCN (Parking Charge Notice) through the post, so it’s completely non-confrontational.
- Consider a permit parking solution: In addition to ANPR cameras, you can control access to your car park using a flexible permit system. These can be tailored to your precise requirements, but typically your paying members and staff will be pre-authorised to park. The best bit: your business has total control over the approved parking whitelist.
Need a helping hand?
Creative Car Park is the UK’s leading car park management company for small-to-medium businesses, and we currently manage more than 2,000 car parks. We have a long history of helping businesses in the health and leisure sector solve their parking problems, offering stress-free solutions based around our intelligent ANPR-powered parking systems.
If you’d like to find out more about our car park management solutions, complete the form below and one of our team will be in touch.
