Agenda item

To consider a report from the Director of City Development presenting two connected projects for approval. Firstly, a range of infrastructure improvements to five Park and Ride sites to be funded through Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) grant.  Secondly, a two-year extension to the contract for the operation of Park and Ride bus services is proposed to enable continuity of service until wider conversations with the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA) are concluded.

Resolved (unanimously):

That Executive

1)    Approves £4m of BSIP1 funding and £250k of allocated

YNYCA Bus Grant funding to deliver Park and Ride site improvements as outlined in Annex A.

Reason: To modernise old facilities for existing and future Park

and Ride users and to attract more passengers to use Park and

Ride services.

2)    Delegates authority to the Director of City Development (in

consultation with the Director of Governance and the Head of

Procurement) to implement the proposed Park and Ride site

Infrastructure improvements and to carry out any required

procurement processes and to take such steps as are necessary

to procure, award and enter into the resulting contracts.

Reason: To ensure expedient delivery of the projects.

3)   Delegates authority to the Director of City Development (in

consultation with the Chief Finance Officer and the Director of

Governance) to explore and implement further income

opportunities associated with Park and Ride including setting

fees for overnight parking.

Reason: To further support the financial viability of Park and Ride

provision.

4)    Delegates authority to the Director of City Development (in

consultation with the Director of Governance and the Head of

Procurement) to agree an extension to the existing Park and

Ride contract and any associated leases, of not more than two

years duration, and to take such steps as are necessary to enter

into the resulting variation and extension agreement and lease

extensions.

Reason: To provide continuation of service and to enable the

results of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority bus

network review to be incorporated into the new Park and Ride

contract.

The Director of City Development submitted a report which presented two connected projects for approval. Firstly, a range of infrastructure improvements to five Park and Ride sites to be funded through Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) grant.  Secondly, a two-year extension to the contract for the operation of Park and Ride bus services was proposed to enable continuity of service until wider conversations with the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA) were concluded.

The following information was appended to the report:

-       Park and Ride site improvements

-       Park and Ride site improvement consultation summary

-       Equalities Impact Assessment.

The following officers attended for this item:

-       Garry Taylor, Director of City Development

-       Tom Horner, Head of Transport Policy and Travel

-       Behaviour.

The key areas of discussion were:

·      The Executive Member reported that it was 35 years since park and ride was formally opened in 1990 with the opening of Askham Bar park and ride. York had the largest park and ride in the UK with nearly 5,000 parking spaces around the outside of the city centre at six different sites. It was one of the most successful in the country with around 3.8 million journeys in 2024.

·      Further investment provided an opportunity to improve passenger experience. There had been a positive response to the consultation exercise with over 1,000 people submitting a response. One important development was the creation of integrated transport hubs so that a wide range of people could access different locations. Overnight parking was another strong ask and had been tied in with extended park and ride hours that had already been implemented.

·      Ensuring a more accessible offer, which included, changing places, toilets, accessible EV charging and more spacious blue badge parking. It supported a commitment to enabling people to choose sustainable travel options and to reduce congestion in the city centre.

Resolved (unanimously):

That Executive

1)    Approves £4m of BSIP1 funding and £250k of allocated

YNYCA Bus Grant funding to deliver Park and Ride site improvements as outlined in Annex A.

Reason: To modernise old facilities for existing and future Park

and Ride users and to attract more passengers to use Park and

Ride services.

2)    Delegates authority to the Director of City Development (in

consultation with the Director of Governance and the Head of

Procurement) to implement the proposed Park and Ride site

Infrastructure improvements and to carry out any required

procurement processes and to take such steps as are necessary

to procure, award and enter into the resulting contracts.

Reason: To ensure expedient delivery of the projects.

3)   Delegates authority to the Director of City Development (in

consultation with the Chief Finance Officer and the Director of

Governance) to explore and implement further income

opportunities associated with Park and Ride including setting

fees for overnight parking.

Reason: To further support the financial viability of Park and Ride

provision.

4)    Delegates authority to the Director of City Development (in

consultation with the Director of Governance and the Head of

Procurement) to agree an extension to the existing Park and

Ride contract and any associated leases, of not more than two

years duration, and to take such steps as are necessary to enter

into the resulting variation and extension agreement and lease

extensions.

Reason: To provide continuation of service and to enable the

results of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority bus

network review to be incorporated into the new Park and Ride

contract.