Scottish Government

Chapter 5

5. Benefits and Opportunities

Benefits

5.1 The implementation of appropriately located Park and Ride facilities, can encourage greater use of public transport, improve accessibility and so contribute to meeting the overall aims of Local and Regional Transport Strategies. Indeed, at a high level forum of senior bus stakeholders, chaired by the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, on 11 March 2008, bus operators stated their view that the provision of strategically located Park and Ride was fundamental to modal shift.

5.2 The WS Atkins (1998) report The Travel Effects of Park and Ride, is a helpful reference as is Bus-Based Park and Ride: A Good Practice Guide by the English Historic Towns Forum in May 2000. The WS Atkins report notes that within certain urban areas, traffic congestion was generally being avoided as a consequence of Park and Ride. The report also noted that the analysis of the extra-urban effects of Park and Ride indicated that the total additional traffic generated outside urban areas could be greater than that avoided within them. This reinforces the importance of establishing the rationale for Park and Ride as an appropriate intervention.

Opportunities

5.3 The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution made, to date, by Authorities in developing strategic Park and Ride infrastructure. The quality of provision in some areas is of a very high standard which will encourage growth in bus passenger numbers and in turn contribute to modal shift from cars to more sustainable public transport.

5.4 Nevertheless, there is scope for more innovation from public and private sector partnerships if the potential for Park and Ride is to be fully realised in Scotland. Opportunities exist for a wider range and distribution of sites, including - for example - longer range, out-of-town sites and use of sites adjacent to trunk roads with appropriate supporting measures in place to ensure that the shift from car to bus is not at the expense of journey time, reliability or comfort. Quality Partnerships and Punctuality Improvement Partnerships (see Guidance at Annex B) between transport authorities and bus operators may provide appropriate frameworks within which the opportunities of innovative Park and Ride can be taken forward on a win-win basis, with substantial benefits for travellers and the environment.

5.5 Authorities and bus operators may wish to explore the possibility of Park and Ride joint ventures which several Authorities have developed as local authority/Operator partnership schemes such as Bridge of Don, Ellon, Scone and Kinross. It is essential for potential developers and bus operators, together with public sector partners, to initiate discussions with the planning authority and to engage with the process of development plan preparations from an early stage. For example, there could be scope for Authorities or operators to lead the process to examine the potential for shared facilities and infrastructure on site where facilities at the Park and Ride sites could add value and share costs, for example, for basic shopping, waiting areas, toilets, refreshments, freight/depot facilities, real time information and security arrangements, or with other sectors such as tourism information. In the case of freight there may be scope to consider options such as overnight lorry parking. This raises a whole range of operational and practical issues, but merits consideration for "added transport value".

Case Study

Ellon 'Inter-Urban' Park and Ride was introduced in November 2000, with support from the, now obsolete, Scottish Government's Integrated Transport Fund and is operated in partnership between Aberdeenshire Council and Stagecoach Bluebird.

Ellon is a commuter settlement with a population of just under 10,000, lying 16 miles north of Aberdeen. The site, which is operated by the Council, is adjacent to the Ellon by-pass on the A90 and consists of a 250 space car park with CCTV, bus turning circle and drop off zone, cycle lockers and a staffed purpose built high quality waiting facility. Over time, additional facilities have been provided for customers, most recently Wi-Fi access and a reverse vending machine allowing used bottles and cans to be exchanged for discount vouchers for bus travel.

Stagecoach Bluebird's commercial bus services on the Aberdeen -Peterhead/Fraserburgh 'Buchanlink' corridor, all serve the site to provide a 10 minute peak, 20 minute inter-peak frequency to/from Aberdeen. These services were enhanced by two peak vehicles under the original partnership agreement. Lower-frequency supported bus services to/from Inverurie and Aberdeen Airport also serve the facility providing further opportunities for onward travel.

Ellon 'Inter-Urban' Park and Ride is considered highly successful with the service contributing to a 5% reduction in the with-flow traffic on the A90 to/from Aberdeen in the busiest two hours. Analysis of the catchment area also suggests that it has proved particularly attractive to passengers from those rural areas which are served by low frequency bus routes, but has not abstracted existing passengers from rural areas served by mainline corridor services. Patronage continues to grow at 8% per annum and, as a consequence, consideration is currently being given to expanding the car park.

Choosing Park and Ride

5.6 Appropriately located, high quality Park and Ride sites with a reliable service can contribute to developing a positive attitude to bus amongst potential bus users. They can be a point of new or renewed connection to buses for commuters and other travellers, and with the growth in bus patronage in recent years they are often a visible sign and reminder of the availability of the bus option for the car user. Also, they may provide an opportunity for developing innovative ways of attracting customers and creating organic growth in services and bus patronage, and contributing to positive outcomes of modal shift and improvements to quality of bus services and, potentially, to the environment.

Scottish Household Survey

The Scottish Household Survey ( SHS) added a series of questions in 2007 on whether or not respondents had used any Park and Ride facilities in the past month and the reasons for not using these facilities. As only one year of data is currently available, the number of respondents is relatively small.

Twenty-one per cent of respondents chose to drive part of their journey, park then used another mode of travel ² of which 27 per cent stated they had used a bus after parking. ³

Of the respondents who had chosen to drive part of their journey, over a quarter parked at a designated Park & Ride facility with another quarter parking at an ordinary car park at a bus or train station.

Figure 3: Respondents who had driven and then used another mode to complete their journey

* based on a sample size of 1,059. Data source: Scottish Household Survey 2007.

Nearly 30% parked on a street before continuing with the last part of their journey - this may indicate a need for more Park and Ride facilities. Appropriately located, Park and Ride facilities could contribute to making roads less congested and journey times more reliable.

However it is worth noting, those respondents who had parked on the 'street elsewhere' may include some respondents who had parked their car near their destination but had then walked the final stage, e.g. parked car in a housing estate and then walked for 10 or 15 minutes to their office and so a designated Park and Ride may not change their mode choice.

5.7 The Scottish Household Survey also included questions about choosing Park and Ride. The top four reasons given for not using Park and Ride facilities (based on a sample size of 317) are given below:

5.8 When gathering the evidence base for transport problems and opportunities in a particular area, Authorities will wish to look at local trends and issues, sharing information, as necessary, between public sources and bus operators, where they are examining potential options, including Park and Ride.

Environment

5.9 There have been innovative approaches building sustainability into the design of Park and Ride facilities, as illustrated at the Castleview site near Stirling in the case study. Environmental gains may also be realised from the "joined up" approach emphasised in this Framework. For example, improved bus priority measures on key routes to / from areas of economic activity may increase the attractiveness of the Park and Ride option for users, may encourage modal shift and may also maximise any environmental gains.

5.10 The Government is determined that the bus can play its part in contributing to environmental improvements. Although bus travel is responsible for only 4% of the total road based CO2 emissions in Scotland, other initiatives are being examined for buses to minimise their environmental impact, including reform of the Bus Service Operators Grant ( BSOG) arrangements. There is an opportunity to build on the increasing public recognition and perceptions of the ongoing development of more sustainable transport options, including the promotion of using more efficient vehicles e.g. by providing priority bays for car sharers or low emission vehicles, and Park and Ride can benefit from that.

Marketing

5.11 Marketing is a vital factor in the success of any Park and Ride scheme. This should be innovative and highlight the benefits in time saving, financial saving, joined up and integrated planning and transport solutions, and commercial benefits.