Heathrow T4 bollards - WTF!?

[AMDB9]

Anyone been to T4 lately? They have installed the most narrow bollards just before you enter the ramp up to departures. I managed to get my X5 through with help from my cars top view camera but a poor young mummy (rather MILFY ) ruined her 63 reg white Q7 big time!! The whole sides fked!!

Looking at the multicolour of the bollards it seems they are being hit a few times an hour! What on earth led them to install these as there is nothing like this at the other terminals!?

[MacD1]

AMDB9 said:

Anyone been to T4 lately? They have installed the most narrow bollards just before you enter the ramp up to departures. I managed to get my X5 through with help from my cars top view camera but a poor young mummy (rather MILFY ) ruined her 63 reg white Q7 big time!! The whole sides fked!!

Looking at the multicolour of the bollards it seems they are being hit a few times an hour! What on earth led them to install these as there is nothing like this at the other terminals!?

Airports are a joke now, sleeping Policemen everywhere, £2 to drop off at Luton, cameras fixed on you if you drop someone off followed by a fine at Heathrow, I think they want everyone to get on public transport

[Jagmanv12]

MacD1 said:

cameras fixed on you if you drop someone off followed by a fine at Heathrow, I think they want everyone to get on public transport

Are you saying anybody dropping off at Heathrow gets a fine? Since when? I'd say not true (urban myth) as I was there last week.

[Sods Law]

The bollards have been there for a while, comedy really. No real purpose.

Uk airports are mostly owned by the Spanish so set your expectations accordingly.....

[h8tax]

Jagmanv12 said:

MacD1 said:

cameras fixed on you if you drop someone off followed by a fine at Heathrow, I think they want everyone to get on public transport

Are you saying anybody dropping off at Heathrow gets a fine? Since when? I'd say not true (urban myth) as I was there last week.

I drop people off in the well signposted "Drop Off Area" all the time. Fines have been noticeably absent.

[GTIR]

I always go as fast as I can through those bollards whilst someone in an X5 scraps the side if their car.

In six years I've never been fined for picking up or dropping off at any airport.

[MacD1]

h8tax said:

Jagmanv12 said:

MacD1 said:

cameras fixed on you if you drop someone off followed by a fine at Heathrow, I think they want everyone to get on public transport

Are you saying anybody dropping off at Heathrow gets a fine? Since when? I'd say not true (urban myth) as I was there last week.

I drop people off in the well signposted "Drop Off Area" all the time. Fines have been noticeably absent.

Apologies, I was picking up my Uncle from Heathrow, my uncle came early and was waiting so I dived in and picked up him up from one of the bays that run out the front. Bloke in Hi-vi came over and said your on camera and you will be fined but I didn't get one??? I think a 5 minute rule for waiting is fine, ticket it, them pay if your over at later date.

[Monkeylegend]

GTIR said:

I always go as fast as I can through those bollards whilst someone in an X5 scraps the side if their car.

Between is better.

They sort out the men from the boys.

[340600]

£10 to park for an hour and a half when I picked a mate up from T1 a couple of weeks ago. Didn't see any bollards but I felt massively ripped off.

[Monkeylegend]

340600 said:

£10 to park for an hour and a half when I picked a mate up from T1 a couple of weeks ago. Didn't see any bollards but I felt massively ripped off.

They have a peak time rate now for the bargain price of £12 for the same time period.

No bollards at T1.

[Dilligaf10]

I manage to get the A8L through them without a problem and so does Mrs D. Put there to stop minibuses & coaches, weight limit on ramp I think.

Never had any fines but they do get upset if you are waiting in the drop off area to collect passengers, hi-viz guys get a bit upset.

I am in and out of Heathrow a dozen times a week for the last six or seven years and not had a problem yet.

[David87]

Is it a 6'6" one? I fking hate them - they're getting very hard to negotiate in some large modern cars. In fact, I have given up and turned around on a couple of occasions in modern Range Rovers - mirror to mirror the Evoque is 6'10" and the L405 7'3".

[Ozzie Osmond]

Stupidly big trucks in "don't fit through the gap" shocker!

[rallycross]

It's called a 4x4 w@nker tax !
The more Q7's it claims the better, especially white ones driven by orange faced idiots.

[folos]

rallycross said:

It's called a 4x4 w@nker tax !
The more Q7's it claims the better, especially white ones driven by orange faced idiots.

Because they've got more money than you?

[mike9009]

GTIR said:

In six years I've never been fined for picking up or dropping off at any airport.

Same here. But then again the only airport I have dropped anyone off at is Bembridge.

Mike

[NPI]

GTIR said:

In six years I've never been fined for picking up or dropping off at any airport.

There were certainly dire warnings everywhere and a lot of Police around when I dropped someone at Luton last year. I wasn't expecting to have to pay so didn't have change but the drop-off bays took cards.

[David87]

Stansted is weird. Dropping people off used to be free and really quick by being right outside the terminal, however now you have two options for setting down:

• Free set down, whereby you have to get a free bus to the terminal as it's too far to walk
• Express set down, where you get to drop people off at the terminal (not at the front any more, though), but it costs £2 for up to 10 mins or £3 for up to 15. Any longer than that and you get a £50 fine.

Basically the lazy people have to pay for the tight people. At least there aren't any bollards!

[carl_w]

David87 said:

Stansted is weird. Dropping people off used to be free and really quick by being right outside the terminal, however now you have two options for setting down:

• Free set down, whereby you have to get a free bus to the terminal as it's too far to walk
• Express set down, where you get to drop people off at the terminal (not at the front any more, though), but it costs £2 for up to 10 mins or £3 for up to 15. Any longer than that and you get a £50 fine.

Basically the lazy people have to pay for the tight people. At least there aren't any bollards!

75% discount if you're a local though. I have no idea if you are, but the scheme is poorly publicized. http://www.braughing.org.uk/Stansted%20Parking%20A... -- I'm not a Braughing resident but I filled in the same form.

Apparently they want to discourage "kiss and fly" travellers. I never saw the problem myself. If I had to park in mid-stay or long-stay I might as well get a taxi from home.

[Jagmanv12]

carl_w said:

Apparently they want to discourage "kiss and fly" travellers. I never saw the problem myself. If I had to park in mid-stay or long-stay I might as well get a taxi from home.

So they don't want passengers that are just dropped off at departures and then the car/taxi leaves?
Do they expect people to go into the car park, unload the luggage, say goodbye and then leave the car park having paid?

I don't see that working.

At Birmingham you could drive into the drop off/collection area, drop off or collect your passenger then drive out. Now there's a charge so people drop off/collect from the Ibis.

I've heard that the signposted "Pick up area" at Heathrow's T5 takes you into the car park. That is ridiculous when a pick up takes about 30 seconds. I do as thousands as others and wait to be picked up at the departures drop off area.

Hopefully there will be a proper "Pick up area" at the new T2 which doesn't involve being ripped off for 30 seconds of parking.