A call has gone out to Brighton and Hove businesses and organisations for suitable land for a park and ride scheme.
Brighton and Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey asked landowners to get in touch if they are interested in working with the council on setting up a scheme.
Councillor Sankey made her comments at the start of a meeting of the council’s cabinet yesterday (Thursday 14 November).
She said: “We have been working on a number of site options but are keen to explore all options so please do get in touch if this is of interest and you have land or premises in the city that may be suitable.”
Park and ride was on the “forward plan” for this month’s cabinet meeting but has since been pushed back to January.
The council has explored the possibility of a park and ride scheme a number of times over several years.
And four years ago, it was one of 10 recommendations to emerge from the Brighton and Hove Climate Assembly, with the assembly made up of 50 randomly selected residents.
Councillors agreed to spend between up to £30,000 on a feasibility study in December 2021.
Brighton and Hove Buses proposed a trial using Mill Road – similar to the football match-day scheme – to start in June 2022. Buses were to run between there and the centre of Brighton.
But, with no assurances from the Highways Agency that signs on the A23 and A27 would be in place in time, Brighton and Hove Buses dropped its plans.
Other factors included the need for a traffic regulation order, requiring a three-week consultation, and uncertainty about whether the scheme would require planning permission.
A park and ride already operates from the Withdean Stadium, with parking free for the first three hours and a charge of £3 after that and £10 overnight.
The scheme runs from 7am to 8pm daily. Those parking at Withdean can take the 27 bus into and back from the centre of Brighton.
How do they not know where the possible sites are?
It feels like councillors are a bit obsessed with park and ride. If they couldn’t find a site that worked after a £30,000 ‘feasibility’ study and now need to scramble around asking residents for ideas it’s looking a bit desperate.
What’s the betting that the council ‘delivers’ a half measure site that doesn’t really deliver anything just for the sake of it and to make it look like they delivering a manifesto ‘promise’.
Park and Ride is unnecessary. We have 3 rail lines with 14 trains arriving at Brighton every hour. The stations en route have parking. There are 6 bus routes that bring people from rural towns, in addition to the dozens of city routes. We need more, but a P&R will only take people off buses and trains and put them into cars. The trains and buses will become less profitable and will be cut.