Bus-Based Park & Ride
Introduction
Bus-Based Park & Ride is one of a range of transport planning tools that can be used to encourage car users to switch to public transport. In conjunction with other traffic management measures, such as a reduction in central area parking and the adoption of bus priority techniques, a well-designed and well-located facility can assist in reducing traffic levels in the town centre. This provides more sustainable access, improves attractiveness, and can enhance the economic viability of a town centre.
Bus-Based Park & Ride may help to form a positive image of public transport that can encourage increased use of other mainstream services. However, it needs to be considered as one of the possible elements in a local transport strategy, and its use will depend upon local circumstances.
Bus-based Park & Ride systems currently operate in more than 55 towns and cities in England, with many more being considered or underway. The oldest have been in place since the mid-70s. Together with more recent developments, they provide a considerable body of information and experience.
Background
Published jointly by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the English Historic Towns Forum, Bus-Based Park & Ride: A Good Practice Guide provides up- to-date planning and design advice to authorities considering implementing, expanding or improving Bus-Based Park & Ride systems. The document is not intended to be prescriptive, but rather to guide decision making at all stages. It moves from assessing demand and choosing an appropriate site, to designing the scheme, preparing a case for funding, managing day-to-day operation and monitoring the impacts.
Early chapters set the scene by considering the role of Bus-Based Park & Ride and the importance of complementary local and regional policies. Measures such as bus priority, traffic management, parking restraint and residents' parking schemes are crucial in helping to maximise the effectiveness of the system.
Subsequent chapters highlight the issues to consider when planning and developing Bus-Based Park & Ride. Essential factors to address include:
- Clear and conspicuous signposting
Ease of access to the site - Comparative Bus-Based Park & Ride and central area parking tariffs
- The quality, frequency and reliability of the transit service
- Journey time advantages over the car
- Site facilities, such as shelter, passenger information and security measures
Site layout
On site layout, the Guide recommends that: "Sites should be designed with the safety and security of users and their vehicles in mind...For sites with 500 or more parking spaces, the minimum staffing requirement is to have two attendants on duty at any time. One patrolling and the other in the control office linked by telephone or personal radio."
Authorities will need to demonstrate the efficacy of Bus-Based Park & Ride in tackling local transport problems. The Guide provides advice on the Government's New Approach to Appraisal (NATA) as it applies to Bus-Based Park & Ride. It describes how to monitor customer feedback and other important aspects of the service, and to evaluate the overall impact of the system. Examples of good practice are provided throughout the Guide, with more detailed case studies included in the Annex, along with a review of recent research into the benefits and apparent disbenefits of Bus-Based Park & Ride.
The Guide highlights some potential drawbacks, such as abstraction from existing bus service and increases in private vehicle mileage, and suggests practical ways of avoiding these. It also recognises that Bus-Based Park & Ride is not appropriate everywhere; a Bus-Based Park & Ride strategy must be based on a thorough assessment of travel impacts, and systems must be implemented as part of an integrated transport strategy.
Copies of Bus-Based Park & Ride: A Good Practice Guide costing £30 for Members and £31 for non members can be purchased from English Historic Towns Forum. PO Box 22, Bristol. BS16 1RZ. They can be contacted either by telephone on 0117 975 0459 or by E-mail: ehtf@uwe.ac.uk
Technical enquiries
TMT Division, DETR, Zone 3/21, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DR
Tel: 020 7944 2599 Fax: 020 7944 2211 E-mail: tmt2@dft.gsi.gov.uk
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