Oxford and Oxfordshire news, sport and information updated throughout the day

Park and ride to double in size

From the archive, first published Thursday 8th Aug 2002.

One of Oxford's park-and-ride sites is to double in size -- and plans for a new bus interchange are also in the pipeline.

But the improvements to the Thornhill site will mean a new 60p parking fee for motorists.

Oxfordshire County Council is expected to start construction work next week at the site, on the A40 London Road at Sandhills, Headington. The project will create 400 extra parking spaces.

Proposals for future expansion include a new bus station, with a waiting room and toilets.

It is hoped Thornhill could become an interchange for bus services to London, with direct links to the West End, Gatwick and Heathrow airports, and to Oxford Brookes University and the Headington hospitals. The bus station plans, which are still at an early stage, are designed to cut congestion and street parking in Headington, and make it easier for people to travel by express coach to and from London, without having to go into the centre of Oxford.

Under the terms of the previous lease from Shotover Estates, the owner of the Thornhill site, Oxford City Council -- which runs all the park-and-ride centres -- was unable to charge motorists for parking.

But a new contract allows a 60p fee to be charged, bringing it in line with the city's other sites.

The fees will pay for CCTV cameras and security staff to patrol the parking areas.

County councillor David Robertson, executive member for transport and highways, said: "This is excellent news as Thornhill park and ride is regularly full by 10am and people are being turned away. "The expanded site will assist the economy of the city and support measures to improve the environment of Headington and Marston.

"We know people now use the park-and-ride and walk over the road to catch the London buses, but we have an idea that we could bring the buses into the site.

"We could also use it to serve the John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals, and Oxford Brookes University, by having shuttle services into Headington.

"It will make it easier for people who work at the hospitals to get there by public transport, and release spaces for patients and visitors, and reduce on-street parking in nearby roads.

"The more people we provide these facilities for, the better it is for congestion in the city." Work to create the extra parking spaces should be completed by Christmas, with 200 ready by November -- coinciding with the opening of the new Water Eaton park and ride, near Kidlington.

Jon Winstanley, county council project engineer, said: "We expect to do most work with minimal disruption to the operation of the existing park and ride site.

"Minor alterations to the car park to accommodate the extension will involve some disruption, but we will keep this to a minimum.

"Users are asked to bear with us while we bring about this major improvement."

Council officers are investigating the possibility of handing over day-to-day operation of the sites to private contractors.

Archive Home