Improvements worth £4.25 million to York’s Park and Rides – including overnight parking aimed at tourists – will make the sites work harder for users, the council’s transport lead says.
Cllr Kate Ravilious said changes which also include electric vehicle charging, cycle spaces and bike storage would make them useful to more people.
Council sustainable transport lead Tom Horner said it was hoped the improvements would build on the current success of the sites and cut congestion in York.
Investments approved by the council’s executive are set to see improvements made at five of the city’s six Park and Ride sites.
The changes come as part of the council’s Bus Service Improvement Programme (BSIP) which is backed by £4 million in Department for Transport funding.
A further £250,000 has also come from a York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Local Transport Grant.
A council report stated the changes were designed to turn the Askham Bar, Grimston Bar, Monks Cross, Rawcliffe Bar and Poppleton Bar Park and Rides into multi-use transport hubs.
The hub model aims to offer more than just bus journeys by opening up Park and Rides to other uses.
Alternative to the city centre
Overnight parking is set to be introduced at the Askham Bar and Rawcliffe Bar sites.
It aims in part to cut congestion by giving visitors an alternative to the city centre for parking.
Officials hope it will be particularly effective at easing traffic on Friday afternoons which are currently challenging for bus operations.
The service would allow visitors to drop their vehicles off at the two Park and Rides on a Friday and catch the bus into the centre of York.
Parking would be in a designated area with 24-hour-a-day, seven days a week access.
They would then be able to pick them up when they leave.
Other improvements include an additional stop for buses and long-distance coaches at Askham Bar, along with a relocated oversized vehicle parking area.
Rawcliffe Bar is also set for an oversized vehicle parking area, a cover for existing cycle spaces, refurbishments to its existing building, a canopy to shelter passengers and upgraded security.
The toilet block and ticket office at Grimston Bar is set to be replaced with a new building, with changing places also planned and layout, paving and landscaping improvements.
Monks Cross is set for a canopy over its existing cycle spaces, renovations to its toilets and waiting area and improvements to its building’s security.
Upgrades to accessible bays, repairs, defibrillators, cycle lockers, bike repair stands, parcel lockers, e-scooter parking areas and new real-time bus information is planned at the five sites.
First Bus contract extended
A two-year extension to First Bus’ contract to run the sites was also approved along with the upgrades.
The council’s executive heard earlier this month the improvements aimed to further boost Park and Ride user figures after all six sites carried around 3.8 million passengers last year.
Transport executive member Cllr Ravlious said York’s Park and Rides were already among the most successful in the country, but they could be even better.
Cllr Ravilious said: “It’s 35 years this year since the first Park and Ride opened in York at Askham Bar and we now have the largest Park and Ride in the country with almost 5,000 spaces across six sites.
“It’s a fantastic asset but it could do even more, this is going to make it work harder for the city and improve passenger experience.”
Cllr Stephen Fenton, transport spokesperson for the Liberal Democrat opposition, said he welcomed spending money his party secured when it and the Greens controlled the council on the improvements.
He added he particularly welcomed overnight parking at Askham Bar but said the council could go further by installing more bus stops on Tadcaster Road to promote its use.
