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"Retail California, you can check out but you can never leave" - credit to the author!

Wellington retail car park is council owned and operated by euro car parks.

The queue to leave has been as long as 1.5 hours.

Waterlooville is currently ranked as one of the worst high streets in the UK and this problem doesn't help bring footfall.

Recently, a growing number of individuals, myself included, have found ourselves unfairly penalised while visiting the Wellington Retail Park car park in Waterlooville. Due to ineffective traffic management and layout issues, visitors often face significant delays when entering and exiting the car park. This has led to fines for supposedly "overstaying" our welcome, despite the fact that the congestion and delays are beyond our control.

There is also a significant environmental and health impact from the resulting congestion. As well as a potential welfare impact on pets and children stuck in hot cars in summer.

Wellington Retail Park is a vital shopping destination for the community of Waterlooville and the surrounding areas. However, the current state of the car park discourages shoppers, as nobody wants to face punishments due to infrastructure inefficiencies. Local businesses suffer too, as the inconvenience drives potential customers away.

The primary issue lies in the inadequate traffic flow management. During peak shopping times, vehicles are frequently caught in bottlenecks, leading to long queues both within the car park and onto the adjacent roads. This not only causes frustration to drivers but is also a safety concern, as emergency vehicles may struggle to access the area.

According to data, poorly designed vehicle circulation and inadequate signage significantly impact traffic movement within retail park settings. Drawing upon these insights, we believe that the Hampshire Council has the power to make a substantial positive impact by reassessing and redesigning the traffic management strategy at the Wellington Retail Park.

We propose that Hampshire Council conduct a thorough review of the car park’s traffic flow and exits, as well as increase signage to guide drivers more effectively. Implementing an updated strategy that might include additional exits, traffic light controls, or even digital guidance systems can ease congestion and improve the overall shopping experience.

By addressing these issues, we can prevent the unjust penalisation of shoppers and enhance the experience for everyone visiting the park. The local economy stands to benefit as a result, with increased footfall and customer satisfaction driving growth for businesses.

Let’s urge the Hampshire Council to take decisive action and solve these traffic issues so that visitors can enjoy stress-free shopping trips. Please join me in signing this petition to call for these much-needed changes at Wellington Retail Park car park.

Some anonymous comments from local users

"To stressful to park there"

"It's 99.9% of the community [affected]" 

"It took me 50 minutes to get out"

"We avoid weekends"

"An hour and a half there last Christmas with my kids, never again"

"I was one hour late to pick my child up and charged £50, I was sat in my car crying because I couldn't move"

"My grandad got stuck there and was fined, despite me appealing it due to traffic they rejected it"

'I couldn't get out of my space and eventually had to take my grandmother to the bathroom in a shop, I was then fined for overstaying'

"My rule of thumb is never go on a Saturday or Sunday"

"I left the vet at 13:15 and didn't leave the car park until 13:40"