Mr Kitson explained to
the Committee that the trends demonstrated in the Park and Ride
– Pay to Park Trial report used data from June 2018 to
September 2018. Mr Kitson stated that
an income of £65,000 had been recorded for the first four
months, which represented an overall deficit of £49,000 for
the service. While the small data
sample did not enable accurate forecasting, if the trends
continued, a deficit of £134,000 was anticipated by the end
of the financial year. It was noted
that car sharing was not prevalent at peak times, however, 155 cars
were removed from highways each day at peak hours through the Park
and Ride Service.
Mr William Cornall,
Director of Regeneration and Place, informed the Committee that
engagement with KCC regarding the Park and Ride service had been
ongoing through various routes. These
included the Quality Bus Partnership, liaison between Transport
Innovation Teams and direct contact with the Director of
Transport. While KCC supported the
scheme, the only available option for financial support was through
the Concessionary Travel Scheme.
Councillors Newton,
McKay and Daley spoke on this item as Visiting Members.
The Committee
commented that:
·
Modal shift was more apparent at off-peak times,
while a key objective was to achieve this during peak
times.
·
If the Highway Authority, KCC, considered the
service too important to be lost, it should take responsibility for
the operation or funding of the Park and Ride service.
RESOLVED:That the performance of the Park and
Ride – Pay to Park trial be noted.