Chester Zoo Chester Zoo now charging visitors to park closer to entrance

I have read with great interest all the arguments but would like to ask 2 simple questions.

1 - With more people now turning to Electric cars will the collection provide charging points will these have to go close to the entrance as the power required to charge the vehicles would have to come from somewhere in the zoo or will they have to close part of the car park off while they put cables down.

2 - with many people now not using the coaches will they use the parking for coaches as a new disabled car park and send the coaches further away from the entrance. They could make this area a full disabled area only.

 

They already have electric charging points and they are near to the entrance of the zoo.

 

1. Wouldn't have thought it would be a big job to lay in a cable (off-season) to a new location.
2. A high proportion of coach parties are school groups - would have thought these would want to be able to enter without crossing roads on safety grounds. And on at least one occasion recently I have seen the coach park full, with overflow coach parking on the grassed areas.

 

I understand the point about the charging points but the one about coaches does make me wonder as on many of my visits to the collection you have around 3 maybe 4 they could easily drop off at the end of the car/coach park and then park up further away on the car park and pick up close to the entrance.

 

1. Getting school parties back onto their coaches is - I suspect - akin to herding cats. Adding in restricted timeslots for pickup would be an unhelpful complication.
2. Put the disabled parking next to the entrance; the premium parking next to it; the ordinary parking beyond that. Leave the coach parking where it is - it minimises potential pedestrian/ coach conflict.

 

I think we'll have to agree to dis-agree here.

 

As a teacher who has taken many trips to Chester Zoo the coach parking is in the best available spot. And yes leading a party of 30-90 kids which I’ve done to Chester is like herding cats.

Many coach firms will double book coaches and they will not necessarily stay on site whilst the school visit takes place for 4 to six hours. Many schools may not arrive at the same time but will often leave the Zoo at roughly the same time to have a drop off/collection point with designated times would be a logistical nightmare. Having one student late for collection would impact on everyone’s journey.

Heard a couple of visitors slamming the Zoo yesterday for having no disabled parking- they were actually walking through the disabled parking bays at the time.

Have always appreciated Chester not charging for parking. I’m not going to moan now. Most other collections charge. A length of tome charge rather than flat rate would be my preference.

 

Thank you for that insight.

My brother used to be involved in arranging a school visit to Chester each year. Six coaches. Which could be parked side by side so when 250 people returned at (say) 3 o'clock they could all be sorted easily for departure. Six coaches nose to tail at a pick-up point at 15.00 precisely just wouldn't have worked.

(And Chester isn't going to charge for most parking, just for priority "closer to the entrance" parking.)

 

Premium parking is now only in operation during school holidays and at weekends.

 

Great. The only times I can go.

 

I went the other Sunday at 10, had to drive the long way round, but was 1 row back from the paid spaces

 

It made exactly zero negative impact on our recent visit over a relatively busy weekend...

 

That does not surprise me. I was there a few weeks ago during the week and there was only a handful of cars in the pay section. Not worth it outside of peak times.