Park and ride overnight parking approved

The council says changes were designed to turn the park and ride sites into multi-use transport hubs

Plans to introduce overnight parking at two of York's park and ride sites have been approved by the council.

Further improvements, expected to cost £4.25m, were also agreed, including electric vehicle charging, cycle spaces and bike storage.

Kate Ravilious, York Council's executive member for transport, said the changes would make the sites work harder for users.

It is also hoped the improvements would cut congestion in the city centre by giving visitors alternative parking.

Overnight parking is set to be introduced at the Askham Bar and Rawcliffe Bar sites, where visitors could drop their vehicles off on a Friday and catch the bus into the centre of York.

Parking would be in a designated area with 24-hour access and drivers could then pick their vehicles up when they leave.

'Fantastic asset'

The improvement scheme was designed to turn the Askham Bar, Grimston Bar, Monks Cross, Rawcliffe Bar and Poppleton Bar park and ride sites into multi-use transport hubs, a council report said.

The hub model aims to offer more than just bus journeys, by opening up park and rides to other uses.

Further improvements at Askham Bar include an additional stop for buses and long-distance coaches, along with a relocated oversized vehicle parking area.

Rawcliffe Bar is also set for an oversized vehicle parking area, a cover for existing cycle spaces, refurbishments to its existing building, a canopy to shelter passengers and upgraded security.

The toilet block and ticket office at Grimston Bar will be replaced with a new building, with changing places also planned and layout, paving and landscaping improvements.

Monks Cross is set for a canopy over its existing cycle spaces, renovations to its toilets and waiting area and improvements to its building's security.

Upgrades to accessible bays, repairs, defibrillators, cycle lockers, bike repair stands, parcel lockers, e-scooter parking areas and new real-time bus information is planned at the five sites.

A two-year extension to First Bus's contract to run the sites was also approved along with the upgrades.

Ravilious said: "It's 35 years this year since the first park and ride opened in York at Askham Bar and we now have the largest park and ride in the country with almost 5,000 spaces across six sites.

"It's a fantastic asset but it could do even more, this is going to make it work harder for the city and improve passenger experience."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the changes come as part of the council's Bus Service Improvement Programme (BSIP), which is backed by £4m in Department for Transport funding.

A further £250,000 has also come from a York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority local transport grant.

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