Issue - meetings

Park and Ride Alternatives

Meeting: 06/11/2018 - Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee (Item 110)

110 Park and Ride Alternatives pdf icon PDF 84 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Mrs Tay Arnold, Planning Projects and Delivery Manager, introduced the report.  Mrs Arnold stated that there were a number of options to be considered for the future of the Park and Ride service.  If an affordable alternative was not made available, there would be a significant impact on a variety of users, such as those on minimum wage contracts.  Mrs Arnold explained that a survey had taken place, and this showed that many users would use alternative forms of transport to reach the town centre if the service was ceased.  This would impact upon air quality.

 

Councillors Daley and McKay addressed the Committee as Visiting Members.

 

Mr Cornall explained to the Committee that alternative options had been explored, however, no alternatives had been identified that would offer an improved level of uptake or subsidy per user.

 

The Committee commented that:

 

·  The current Park and Ride contract had been extended twice.  This was designed to allow time to explore available options for the continuation of the service in a viable form.

 

·  All options needed to be considered, so that the possibility of a competitive and efficient service was fully explored.

 

·  Alternative sustainable transport options needed to be viewed as a package.  If these were viewed individually, the alternatives would not have enough impact to replace the Park and Ride service.

 

·  It was crucial to investigate what the market could provide before defining how the service was to be operated.

 

·  Careful consideration needed to be given to how the car parks could be put to sensible economic use.

 

·  The prevalence of car parking in the town centre undermined an objective of the Park and Ride service; reducing the number of cars in the town centre.

 

·  That any action undertaken with delegated authority should be carried out in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

1.  The pay to park service is closed on 31 May 2019.

 

2.  The sites at Willington Street and London Road are retained for a use to honour the commitments made in the Local Plan and Integrated Transport Strategy.

 

3.  A continuation of service from both sites is facilitated in conjunction with commercial operators, with regard to a competitive solution for the best utilisation of the car park.

 

4.  Further investigation of additional multi-modal services is continued.

 

5.  The Director of Regeneration and Place uses his delegated authority in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the SPST Committee to implement the recommendations of the Committee.

Voting: For – 7 Against – 0 Abstentions – 2