RAFM Hendon to charge for parking

entrance to parking lot before 10am

Yes, we also guessed that was the case.
But we also observed people walking from the bus stop along the B of B Building to the main entrance and waiting there.
Since we were excited about our visit it was a shame that we had to wait with our car outside like we did.
Anyone who visits airshows & museums knows the feeling!

“I will add that there were many cars already parked there. Who they belonged to I can’t say.”

At a rough guess I’d say they belonged to the people getting it ready for your visit at 10:00 and the people who keep the collection secure at night.

Strikes me as perfectly fair on balance.

I think the proposed charge is quite reasonable since admission is free. Mind you the idea of making the ticket redeemable against a purchase in the cafe is very attractive.
Cheers,
Reaper 69
:):):)

RAF Museum Hendon parking

After my friends & I, visiting from Germany, battled the traffic through London to make it to the museum before 10am were told we could not enter the parking lot until 10am. Before that time (0945) we had to wait outside the parking lot with our car.
I will add that there were many cars already parked there. Who they belonged to I can’t say.
If we would pay for parking the idea with a Coffee/Food voucher is good.

:rolleyes: As you might imagine everyone in Nottingham is really proud of the City Council’s ‘Great White Elephant’ and ‘major contribution’ to modern society – the WPL (Workplace Parking Levy)! 😡 😡

I may be a million miles out here but my understanding is that ‘soon’ we may all have to pay tax for parking at work.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2517668.ece

If so places such as the RAFM will have to introduce fees otherwise the displacement of drivers trying to avoid the tax will hit them hard. (IE no space for visiors). Perhaps, and I repeat perhaps, they are introducing this fee early both to get some money in and visitors used to the concept.

We are certainly planning for this as a long term issue where I work.

Good idea and I must admit that I haven’t visited for a long time but from what others on here have said does anyone want to drink the coffe or eat the food in the cafe?
Incidentally the food wasn’t bad last time I ate there.

I would be quite happy to pay a reasonable charge to visit Hendon. Although visitor numbers increased once charges were discontinued I am not convinced that the increase in visitors has been of any real benefit to the museum.
It is probably fair to say that admission fees acted as a deterrent to those who were more interested in finding ways to damage the exhibits than they were in learning about our heritage. This meant the museum had to spend less of their budget on repairing vandal damage and the entry fees also generated income to help improve the museum in other ways.
If the £2.50 parking charge has been imposed to discourage locals from using the place as a car park for the tube I don’t think it will be effective partly because it will still be a very cheap car park for those who aren’t visiting the museum and also because I am sure there are locals who resisted the temptation to park there when it was free out of sheer emmbarrassment at being seen to walk out the gates who will now walk out the gates with no qualms as they will feel that they have paid for parking even though they aren’t visiting the museum.
Time will tell but I suspect they will find a fuller car park and possibly less people walking through the museum doors as I am sure some will, be put off their visit by having to pay even a small amount to park. We can only hope that those who are discouraged from visiting are the ones who would have been there to damage the exhibits.
I think it would have been fairer to all to impose an entry fee of £2.50 per person to visit the museum but current government policy won’t allow this to happen.

Last time I looked Duxford was still part of IWM http://www.iwm.org.uk/ – charging policies may be different across different parts of their ’empire’! :confused:

yet another nail in the coffin that is Hendon…penalise the motorist yet again…why not make the car park free and charge £2.50 entrance fee…

The Hendon management don’t have any say in the matter. Thatcher introduced entrance charges, for museums (whereupon attendances dropped off,) and Herr Blair did away with them. I believe that most London museums are state-owned, therefore state-controlled; Duxford’s set-up is completely different, so they’re free to charge for entry.
Edgar

I would guess that, as noted above, people are parking here free and catching the tube to go shopping in town.

Sure charge them £2.50 to park then, but what about all the people that turn up on foot or on the tube or the buses why should’nt they pay £2.50? or as its been noted in other threads about Hendon the locals use it as a playground, why can they not be charged either?

I’m happy to pay but I’d expect to see some improvement in the list of the museum’s shortcomings in return.

Yes i agree 100%.
All the money they get is a massive amount more than they had so there should be a huge improvement and NOT in the wage packet of the new boss.
It would be nice to think the cafe was offering better food at realistic prices,terrible when we last went.

Look you lot – when I become Director General, I’ll hand out carpark passes to all forum members and supply torches.:)

Dont do that as they will find something else to find fault with, lets agree it would be a LONG list and i do feel sorry for whoever gets that job as they have the himalaya’s to climb.

curlyboy

why not make the car park free and charge £2.50 entrance fee

I would guess that, as noted above, people are parking here free and catching the tube to go shopping in town.

I have no problem with that charge at all.

Moggy

Look you lot – when I become Director General, I’ll hand out carpark passes to all forum members and supply torches.:)

yet another nail in the coffin that is Hendon…penalise the motorist yet again…why not make the car park free and charge £2.50 entrance fee…:mad::mad::mad:

Don’t have a problem with that, I got stiffed that much to visit someone in hospital recently.

Same here, as long as the money goes into the RAFM Coffers (or the electricity meter 😉 )

I have no problem with that.
What I object to is the £200 Boris charges to take my van there, it`s within the LEZ.

Pete

I agree, they need to pay the bills some how. Pity they also couldn’t build a small station stop, as not all trains that pass the museum are express trains to the north.

Any news regarding the control tower – some say it’s been moved, while others that it’s been demolished?