Gloucester park and ride on hold
Plans for a new park and ride in the county have been dropped – resulting in traffic misery for years to come.
The Government is reviewing the cash it pays to local authorities for park and rides, and so the county council cannot now proceed with plans for a facility at Highnam.
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Councillor Mark Hawthorne
It was hoped by be built by 2014, taking up to 500 cars off the road and making up to 1,000 commuters journeys quicker.
Councillor Mark Hawthorne, county council cabinet member for planning, said: "The park and ride is dependent on regional funding and we've now been told that this is being reviewed.
"I've taken the difficult decision to put the scheme on hold while we wait for the regional board to confirm what money will be available. I'm still hopeful that this scheme will go ahead in the future."
Rob Keene, 49, who lives at Over Farm near Highnam, said the u-turn meant the council risked "looking foolish" after a bus lane on the A40 was built to cater for people using the park and ride scheme.
"Something needs to be done to reduce the amount of traffic here," he said.
"But I was not convinced the park and ride would have been the most effective solution anyway."
The A40 and A48 meet at Highnam, and every weekday morning eastbound traffic backs up from the Over bridge on the A40, usually for several miles towards Minsterworth and Churcham. The only other road crossings south of Over are the M4 and M48 Severn bridges, so most traffic from the west of the county including the Forest of Dean bottlenecks at Highnam, causing long tailbacks. The county council carried out a consultation in the summer, with 80 per cent of respondents in favour of the service to try and ease the problem.
The site is bounded on the east and north sides by the A48/A40 junction. Preliminary cost estimates for the facility are £5.53 million.
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by geraint, gloucester
Tuesday, December 22 2009, 4:57PM
“Why has this very popular item been lifted from the main Have Your Say Pages while the defunct BA Strike and Churchdown Restaurants are still up there? The funny handshake brigade have taken over TIG methinks!”
by Aston, Gloucester
Tuesday, December 22 2009, 8:58AM
“Traffic misery for years to come???? We've managed for this long without it. Bit of an exaggeration perhaps?”
by Mark, FoD
Tuesday, December 22 2009, 5:20AM
“There is a simple solution - turn the bus lane into a third lane for traffic and get rid of the hatching which everone now ignores outside the property just before the Newent turning. This would permit a free flow of traffic up to the roundabout!”
by J, FOD
Tuesday, December 22 2009, 1:06AM
“Just another example of our Councils being pretentious and too big for their boots- racing headlong with a park and ride scheme that nobody wanted and they could not afford- but it probably sounded good when the powers that be described their BIG, GREEN plans to those holding the funding. Well, just like The Quays (which IS being talked up, spun and sold to us as the success story of the century when it clearly is not) this is just one more almightly balls up to add to our bungling Councils long, long (unchallenged), long, long list.”
by FOD Lady, FOD
Monday, December 21 2009, 10:46PM
“Never mind banning Foresters from Glos - ban Ron!
The arrangements for entering into Glos are appalling. Government seems preoccupied with sustainability and minimising damage to the environment yet happy to allow the delays to continue. The cost in petrol, emmissions, waste time for thousands of commuters needs taking into consideration.
At the very least, remove the hashed markings at Highnam to ease the delays - if this means re-routing the exit for the Lodge, so be it. The solution needs to work for the majority not the minority here.
Come on County Highways (not Glos City), ease the pain!”