We hate traffic jams: survey

Convenient cheap parking tops wish-lists

By PH Staff / Thursday, 20 July 2006 / Loading comments

Keep it cheap

Most people don't want to walk too far when they go on holiday, they don't like jams, and they want to be able to park cheaply. Such are the stunning results of a recent survey by Green Flag.

With school holidays just around the corner, thousands of British families will be planning daytrips. All bar 18 per cent will take the car, but many would steer clear of attractions that were inaccessible or did not provide facilities for motorists.

Almost two-thirds (60 per cent) of motorists would avoid visiting an attraction where there was a lack of parking and over half (51 per cent) would shun somewhere if it was renowned for bad traffic. But the top turn-off when choosing a destination was the price of parking with seven out of ten (70 per cent) people stating they would avoid a place if the parking was expensive.

Location of parking is also a concern with over two thirds (69 per cent) of those questioned by the breakdown specialist claiming they would avoid a place completely if they could not park close to the attraction. Almost half found driving distance (49 per cent) and difficult road access (42 per cent) turn-offs when planning a trip. And to escape the queues at the end of the day, six-out-of-ten (62 per cent) admitted to leaving early and cutting their daytrip short.

In the survey of 1,300 people, museums and galleries were voted the least car-friendly places to visit by over half (51 per cent) questioned in the poll. Some two thirds (66 per cent) surveyed considered theme parks to cater best for motorists and at the other end of the scale, zoos, conservation parks, national parks and wildlife parks were all considered motoring havens with less than one-in-twenty finding them inaccessible for cars.

Green Flag found the top benefit of taking the car on a daytrip was freedom (87 per cent), with the ability to store items such as change of clothes for children coming a close second (71 per cent). More than half said that travelling by car was cheaper than public transport (51 per cent) and is convenient for taking a picnic along (55 per cent).

Distance is not a deterrent when considering places to visit as half (50 per cent) would drive up to 70 miles for a day out and three-out-of-ten people (30 per cent) would drive up to 100 miles from home.

So if you want to get away from the crowds, find a place where you have to walk a bit or where the parking is expensive...