Agenda item

Cabinet Member: Transport

Forward Plan Ref: 2011/201

Contact: Steve Smith, Highways & Transport Service Manager Tel: (01865) 810435

Report by Director for Environment, Economy & Customer Services (CA8).

A requirement to fund an identified revenue gap of £150,000 a year has been established as set out in the Environment & Economy Business Strategy 2011-15. A system of charging for long stay parking at Thornhill and Water Eaton sites has been proposed to achieve at least this.

This report summarises the public consultation on the advertised Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for charging; the outcome of a customer survey via citizen panel; and recommends to Cabinet members a proposed level of charging.

Cabinet is recommended to:

(a)               approve the making of the Oxfordshire County Council (Park and Ride Parking Places - Thornhill and Water Eaton) Order 201* as advertised

(b)               confirm the timing of the introduction of charges as identified in paragraph 9; and

(c)               instruct officers to undertake a review between 6 – 12 months of commencement of charging.

Cabinet considered a report that detailed a requirement to fund an identified revenue gap of £150,000 a year as set out in the Environment & Economy Business Strategy 2011-15 and proposing a system of charging for long stay parking at Thornhill and Water Eaton sites to achieve at least this.

The report summarised the public consultation on the advertised Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for charging; the outcome of a customer survey via citizen panel; and recommends to Cabinet members a proposed level of charging.

Councillor Alan Armitage, Opposition Deputy Leader expressed the Liberal Democrat Group’s support for charging every user of the Thornhill Park & Ride. In the past they had supported free use of all 5 Park & Ride sites but in the current financial squeeze this was no longer appropriate or affordable. He questioned why the decision was not being taken to go ahead with charging all users and referred to the result of the consultation where the majority agreed it was reasonable to charge for parking and that a charge in excess of £5 was reasonable. He asked that in view of the current and new pressures on budgets the opportunity be taken to consider charging all vehicles to use the county-owned park & rides in Oxford.

Councillor Anne Purse, speaking as a local Councillor, supported the introduction of a charge but expressed concerns over the proposed hours of charging and the system of charging. She believed that a lot of people using it for the daily commute to London would come home earlier to avoid the charge and work from home. She supported a review after 6 months but asked that the situation be closely monitored in any case.  She also queried whether the fine was sufficient to be a deterrent. She referred to the none Park & Ride use being made of the site by employees of local firms and queried whether companies that used buses to collect employees from the Park & ride site should also be charged.

Councillor Roz Smith, speaking as a local Councillor welcomed the increase in spaces and the changes to the pick up and drop off points. She referred to the first paragraph of the report and the prime purpose to reduce congestion and yet there was no mitigation to the effects of inconsiderate drivers. She commented that the report did not refer to disabled blue badge holders and key workers (for example at the hospital) and that she would have liked to have seen a recommendation addressing their needs. The Chairman replied that there were procedures in place at the hospital for key workers to be given permits to park at the hospital when required.

Councillor Liz Brighouse welcomed the expansion and charging being put in place. She would like to see the proposals go much further and in particular had issues with the likely displacement parking. The relationship of the site with Heathrow needed to be more clearly looked at and there were issues about the carbon footprint. She hoped that the review would look at the communities around the park & Ride site.

Councillor Rose in moving the recommendations emphasised that Park & Ride sites were introduced in the first place to tackle congestion. The proposals were an extension of that principle to ensure that spaces are available. He hoped that once there had been the  increase in spaces it would be possible to look at charging for airport stays. He was not against the use of the site by worker’s buses as it still contributed to reduced congestion.

RESOLVED:                        to:

(a)               approve the making of the Oxfordshire County Council (Park and Ride Parking Places - Thornhill and Water Eaton) Order 201* as advertised

(b)               confirm the timing of the introduction of charges as identified in paragraph 9; and

(c)               instruct officers to undertake a review between 6 – 12 months of commencement of charging.