MP presses minister on park-and-ride funding

Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, is seeking government support for plans to expand the town's park-and-ride scheme.

Shropshire Council this week revealed plans to extend the existing park-and-ride scheme to include Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Theatre Severn, Flaxmill and Shrewsbury Business Park.

Mr Kawczynski said improving transport links was vital to the future of Shrewsbury's economy, and added that he had been most impressed by the plans drawn up by the council's cabinet member for transport, Councillor Steve Davenport.

He is seeking government funding to allow the scheme to go ahead, and said Baroness Vere had agreed to hold an online meeting with him and Councillor Davenport to discuss the plans.

Mr Kawczynski said use of the town's park-and-ride scheme had declined by almost half in recent years, falling even further during the pandemic. This has increased car use, and added to congestion problems in the town, he added.

Mr Kawczynski said the council had visited towns and cities across the UK to see how they tackled the problem, looking at which systems worked best.

He said the proposed scheme, known as Shrewsbury Connect, would not only reduce congestion in the town centre, but also provide jobs, improve the environment and promote tourism

Mr Kawczynski also invited Baroness Vere to visit Shrewsbury.

"After the flooding, transport connectivity is the next biggest economic brake on Shrewsbury," said Mr Kawczynski.

"The transport gridlock is a huge problem, at certain times of day it is already over an hour to traverse Shrewsbury."

The plans, which could also be extended to Oswestry, would see the introduction of electric buses and shorter waiting times.

Each park-and-ride site would include indoor seating areas, a cafe, toilets, ticket machines and electric vehicle charging points.

James Willocks, transport commissioning manager, told cabinet members the current park and ride service was launched in 1994 and was in need of a revamp to transform it into a modern service.

Under the proposals, three routes distinguishable by different coloured buses would operate out of the existing park and ride sites, though the Oxon site could be relocated.

The three routes would converge in the town centre and share multiple stops allowing passengers to switch, meaning people could park at any of the three sites and get to any stop in town.

Mr Willocks told a meeting of Shropshire Council's cabinet: “The park and ride at the moment, using Meole as an example, it doesn’t tend to stop anywhere. It tends to just stop in the middle of the town itself.

“The ambition is to work towards a system that allows people to interchange in the town centre at all the park and ride stops to gain access to one of the other park and ride services."

Under the scheme, people would be able to purchase either a ticket for a single route, or a 'connect' ticket which would allow them use any of the three routes.