Park and Ride sites - how beneficial are they?

[Stephen C]

Yet judging by the occupancy of the Cambridge P&R carparks - and I admit I'm basing this on the Trumpington site which I know best - they are well used, an observation also supported by the long queues for the P&R buses out of town on a Saturday afternoon. Just imagine how much worse the traffic would be if all of those drivers tried to get into the centre in their cars. That said, Mrs rjh uses the Trumpington site to get to Addenbrookes (via the bus) rather than fight for parking at the hospital, so not all parking there is relieving traffic in the very centre of town.

I was probably being a little facetious, I don't think the P&R was designed for the purpose I travel into Cambridge for. I think for a whole day visit (tourists etc) they are very good, I've used the one in Oxford for this reason and if I didn't know the roads of Cambridge as well as I do it would solve a lot of worrying about the best place to park.

The car parks are also used for other things, the Babraham Rd site near Addenbrookes is good if you don't want to pay the hospital parking fees and are prepared for a short walk.

I don't think they will ever attract the commuters, which some people expect them to do. The Cambridge University Park and Cycle may be an alternative.

 

[Fnaar]

We use a Park and Ride when we go to Edinburgh... very convenient, and certainly worth doing. Beneficial to me, and presumably to Embra also.

 

[NorthernDave]

Contradiction alert?

Apologies - I haven't made that very clear. There was a lot of comment locally about the size of the P&R / number parking of spaces when it opened, after much local hype during the planning and build phase. However, given it's location / reliance on ordinary stopping buses (rather than a dedicated service) this has never proved to be much of a problem as there generally seem to be lots of free spaces (it has been reported that the school next door use it as an unofficial overspill car park).

There was talk in Leeds for a long time (decades) about a P&R off the A64 around Scholes, either linking into the misguided busway, or the defunct Supertram project before that - or if you go back far enough, either reopening the section of the Leeds - Wetherby railway line between there and Cross Gates giving access to the Leeds - York line and a direct rail route into the city centre with an additional station at Marsh Lane, or even the 1980's monorail plan!
Now that could have worked but Leeds has a long and shameful record when it comes to public transport projects, which is a topic for another day (and probably another website).

I agree (and have already commented) that York has proven P&R can be done well, and their sensible attitude to cyclists using the facilities is just one example of this.

 

[Piemaster]

[QUOTE 3958088, member: 76"]There should be more encouragement to Park and RIDE in. I sometimes use the P&R at Long Ashton in Bristol, but you aren't allowed to park and cycle. If it is £x pounds to use the P&R with the bus, surely they could let you buy a ticket but cycle in? It's all about less cars after all isn't it?
[/QUOTE]
York seems quite happy for you cycle, even encourage it with cycle routes.Parking is free but you pay for the bus.

 

[MontyVeda]

They're currently building one on the outskirts of Lancaster next to J34 of the M6 as part of the new M6 link road. Whether it'll be a viable/cost effective alternative to parking in town is yet to be seen.

 

[subaqua]

[QUOTE 3958224, member: 45"]This. People need to buy into it.

Take Bristol. One of the worst cities in the country for driving around. The P&R is cheaper than parking in the city. It's convenient and pretty quick. But drivers have the mindset that they must park as close as possible to their destination and can't consider anything else. So you get hundreds of cars driving around the centre trying to find somewhere to park.[/QUOTE]
I like the p&r in Bristol . Works for me when I have to visit a city centre site . Park in the one at J18 ( portway ? ) and travel in in ease . Gets me onto the motorway for going to plymuff quicker too. Maybe it's the cyclist in me that thinks outside the box .

 

[midlife]

They're currently building one on the outskirts of Lancaster next to J34 of the M6 as part of the new M6 link road. Whether it'll be a viable/cost effective alternative to parking in town is yet to be seen.

Didn't know that, the junction seems to have had works on it for about 3 years and looks nowhere near finished yet.

Shaun

 

[MontyVeda]

The work started early last year and is due to be completed next year. Currently it's a big trench that's several miles long

 

[mybike]

[QUOTE 3958088, member: 76"]There should be more encouragement to Park and RIDE in. I sometimes use the P&R at Long Ashton in Bristol, but you aren't allowed to park and cycle. If it is £x pounds to use the P&R with the bus, surely they could let you buy a ticket but cycle in? It's all about less cars after all isn't it?

View attachment 107162 [/QUOTE]

How on earth do they enforce that?

Chester P&R works well to. even in the mad christmas period

Except for the insane driving you have to do when coming from Wales on the A55 to Boughton P&R. That junction is weird!!

 

[subaqua]

How on earth do they enforce that?



Except for the insane driving you have to do when coming from Wales on the A55 to Boughton P&R. That junction is weird!!

It's better now apparently

 

[mybike]

It's better now apparently

The lightsabout? It wasn't yesterday. Hemel's magic roundabout has nothing on that!