Agenda item

Paul Thackray, Head of Highway and Street Operations will be presenting the final plans of the new Park & Ride site at Sim Hills.

Paul Thackray, Head of Highways presented plans for the new Askham Bar park and ride.  The following points were noted:

3.1       The new Park and Ride will be a much bigger site replacing the current one which is no longer big enough to meet demand.  

3.2       It will be similar in design to the park and ride at Monks Cross.  The building will be as sustainable as possible, features will include a wind turbine, ground source heating and a green roof. 

3.3       The proposed land is a former land fill site.  Certain parts of the site will be dedicated for nature conservation. 

3.4       A token system will be introduced on the new site; people using the site will receive a token which must be validated on the bus to allow them to exit the car park.  The aim of this is to stop people using the car park who are not using the park and ride facility.

3.5       There will be a facility for locking bikes up overnight for people who want to drive to the park and ride and then cycle into town.

3.6       The team are currently carrying out pre-planning application consultation.  An exhibition of the plans was held recently which was attended by over 350 people.  It is hoped that the planning application will be submitted at the end of May/early June 2009.  If the application is approved and funding is obtained from central government, construction will start in autumn 2010.

3.7       No decisions have been made about what to do with the existing park and ride but there has been a lot of interest in keeping the existing bus stop. 

3.8       Part of the plans are to widen the footpath along Tadcaster Road to allow for cyclists and pedestrians.  The team are also looking at making improvements to the crossing between the college and Tesco as a lot of traffic is getting backed up there. 

The following questions and comments were noted:

a)  A lot of people in the neighbouring area walk to the current park and ride site to use the service.  As the new site is going to be a lot further away, will the buses be making stops along the route?

Response was given that there are no plans to increase the number of stops.  The idea of a park and ride is for it to be a direct route through to the city centre.  There are a number of other bus services that cover this area.  Cllr Tom Holvey stated that the team will push to keep the bus stop at the existing park and ride site.

b)  We could not get to the exhibition because of work commitments, the timings were not suitable for office workers. 

Response was given that this will be taken into consideration for the next set of consultations.

c)  Where is the funding coming from?

Response was given that 85% of the funding is coming from central government. 

d)  Major cutbacks have been announced under this years budget, could this be an area where funding may be cut?

Response was given that it is unlikely that funding will be cut as this project  promotes sustainable travel.

e)  Would it be possible to use the existing park and ride car park as an overflow for York College?

Response was given that nothing has been decided as yet.

f)  What will the consultation period be once the planning application has been submitted?

Response was given that the statutory consultation period will be applied.  Cllr Ann Reid stated that the proposals would go to the Dringhouses Planning Panel for comment.  There would also hopefully be an exhibition of the plans in Tesco’s and  Dringhouses library. 

g)  Why are people walking to the park and ride when there are local buses?

Response was given that people use them because they are cheaper and more frequent. 

h)  If agreement is obtained to retain the bus stop at the existing park and ride, can you ensure that the driver leaves some space on the bus for people at that stop rather than filling up at the new site.

Response was given that passengers at the new site are likely to become very annoyed if they cannot get on the bus when it is not full.  The point is noted and the options will be looked at.

i)  How will people who drive to the park and ride and then cycle into town gets their tokens validated?

Response was given that these users will be able to have their tokens validated in the office.

j)  I understand you have plans to build other park and ride sites, why don’t you build those first rather than re-developing this one?

Response was given that this is a key site for commuters which can no longer meet the demand.