‘COMPLETELY GRIDLOCKED!’
Shoppers hit out after being stuck on the Trentham Estate car park for 90 minutes
SHOPPERS are repeating calls for a second entrance and exit at Trentham Estate – after being caught up in delays at the popular attraction.
The Trentham Christmas Makers Market was so popular on Saturday that the car park had to be closed for 30 minutes from around 3pm.
It led to traffic chaos on surrounding roads and left visitors facing delays of at least 90-minutes to get off the car park. It has been suggested that a new entrance and exit could be created off Whitmore Road.
Now dozens of visitors have bombarded Trentham Estate’s Facebook page with complaints regarding the issue. The tourist attraction has apologised for last weekend’s delays.
One resident said: “It is stopping locals being able to leave their homes by car because the congestion is so bad. It’s about time they were made to open alternative entrances and exits.”
One mum said: “My daughter booked the day off work to come to the market. We queued for ages and got refused entry.”
One motorist added: “It took us an hour-and-a-half to get off the car park.”
One visitor said: “Why you only have one entrance and exit to the car park is beyond me – ridiculous planning. This definitely needs looking into.
People who are using the A34 and Trentham Road get stuck in it all.”
Another added: “You need more entrances and exits to your site. It took an hour to get from Northwood Lane to Stone because of all your traffic! Completely gridlocked! I won’t even attempt to go to Trentham at this time of year.”
The Trentham Christmas makers markets are running every Saturday and Sunday until Sunday, December 4 – with visitors recommended to arrive early. The attraction’s traffic management plans are being reviewed ahead of this weekend’s events.
Senior asset manager Gareth Hine said: “We are delighted that so many visitors wanted to join our first weekend of Christmas markets and enjoy our unique festive shopping village and winter gardens. However we’re sorry that some visitors faced long queues when the car park became full. It is our aim for every visitor to have a fantastic day out that’s great value with free parking.
“Our team of wardens monitor the car park regularly and help to facilitate parking when it’s busy. On the rare occasion the car park becomes full, they take the decision to close the car park to ease the traffic flow. The peak times at the weekend were between 2pm and 3pm and the car park closed briefly for half an hour at 3pm. We’re sorry if this caused disappointment, but our priority is to ensure safe access and exit from the site.”