OXFORD'S PARK-AND-RIDE SYSTEM.

Abstract

Oxford has already achieved much of what is advocated in the new Transport White Paper. A key component of this is the city's park-and-ride system, which is the largest and most long-standing in the country. Introduced in 1973 as part of a package of measures to restrain private vehicle traffic and encourage the use of public transport, cycling and walking, it now has a capacity of 3900 cars at four sites. One in five car trips originating outside the ring road and bound for central Oxford are diverted into park-and-ride car parks during the morning peak. The majority of users on weekdays are travelling to work. At weekends shopping is the predominant purpose. Frequent buses serve the sites, operating between 05.30 and 23.30 Monday-Saturday, and between 08.45 and 17.45 on Sundays, largely without subsidy. These bus services benefit from extensive bus priority arrangements. High city centre parking charges and strict parking controls support the use of park-and-ride. This paper describes how the system has been successful in stabilizing traffic levels within Oxford for over 25 years while the city has flourished. Now, Oxford is one of the least car-dependent cities in the country, and one of the few places where public transport patronage has increased rather than declined in recent years.