News | Park and Ride


downsmail.co.uk ‘No progress’ on roads plan


A SENIOR figure at the borough council has criticised the lack of delivery of a transport strategy to dealwith themassive housing programme on itsway toMaidstone.


Cllr David Burton said the Lib-


eral Democrat-led Maidstone Bor- ough Council had failed to make “tangible” progress on the traffic issues associated with building 17,600 homes in the borough. Speaking at ameeting to discuss


the future of park and ride, Cllr Burton, a straight-talking andwell- respectedmember forMarden and Yalding, said little progress had beenmade since the Local Planwas adopted last October. The Conservative told members


of the strategic planning, sustain- ability and transportation (SPST) committee: “We are nowin the de- livery stage of the Local Plan and we have an integrated transport strategy (ITS) and we haven’t got onwithmost of them.” Cllr Burton,who chairs the SPST,


wants urgent action on the devel- opment of bus services linked to new housing and the improve- ments to the Willington Street/


Sutton Road junction which has been shelved after a public outcry. He told the Downs Mail later:


“Where is tangible evidence there is any progress on the ITS? We have to crack on and deliver.” He said the officers at MBC and


those atKentCountyCouncilmust work better andmore closely to de- liver road improvements, as KCC is the highways authority. The ITS takes in the much-criti-


cised concept of “modal shift”, which suggests the estimated 30,000 extra vehicles resulting from house-building could be alleviated by encouraging people to walk, cycle or take the bus. The two park and ride services,


which cost about £240,000 a year to run, will convert to “pay to park” at the end ofMay as a way of reju- venating the scheme, to encourage greater use and generatemore rev- enue. Thiswas agreed by the SPST at an earliermeeting.


The SPST agreed to report back in


November on the schemes atWill- ington Street and London Road, when passengers will pay £2.50 to park but travel on the bus free. Pensionerswill not be able to use


bus passes or pay cash to travel, which has prompted criticism.


Scheme ‘is unfair to pensioners’


PENSIONER Rosemary Harlow claims the new park and ride scheme is unfair to pensioners. The Bearsted resident says that


people can park for free at Tesco in Grove Green and take a bus from there into town using their free travel pass. The 79-year-old widow said:


“Some of the older people simply won’t want to use it because they won’t be able to pay cash. They don’t have cards or phones or apps – they’re just not that street-wise. “It’s just another nail in the


coffins of peoplewho don’t use new technology – it’s not that they don’t want to learn, they just don’t want to do it. Older people go into town to meet people and for some com-


pany. But they won’t if they can’t use their bus pass – it will put them off.The park and ride has been a


loss-making thing and I think that we will lose it in time.” Pictures by AmyMartin


Council officer Tay Arnold said


that if the new scheme was not working, some “short-termdeliver- ables” might be implemented, but could see no reasonwhy other “in- novative” options could not be con- sidered. Councillors on the committee en-


couraged MBC to explore other ways to promotemodal shift. Cllr FranWilson, the Liberal De-


mocrat council leader, conceded: “We cannot afford the park and ride at present.”However, she em- phasised that an alternative cannot be found at zero cost. She added that the borough “iswider than the two park and rides”. Cllr Val Springett said officers


should be thinking outside the box and suggested a “Boris Bike” rental service, so that users could cycle through Mote Park and avoid the roads. She also suggested electric tuk tuks and scooters. Council papers stated: “The Local


Plan … commits to delivering modal shift ‘throughmanaging de- mand on the transport network through enhanced public transport, the continued park and ride serv- ices and walking and cycling im- provements’.”


A ‘modal shift’ problem Council park and ride view


CONSERVATIVE County council- lor Gary Cooke, who has led the campaign for a Leeds-Langley re- lief road, said: “If you are going to pursue a form of modal shift you have to support it with a proper park and ride. “The trouble is that this adminis-


tration doesn’t have themoney put aside to deliver it. So pensioners will suffer the consequences. Independent Maidstone bor-


ough councillor Eddie Powell said the council had not done its home-


4 Maidstone May 2018


work properly before pushing the changes to park and ride through. He said: “Maidstone Borough


Council claims to have done a con- sultation, but you have got to look at the demographic of people who want to use the park and ride scheme. I fear it is the older people who are being victimised in all of this. “I understand that lifemoves on


and we have to move with it, but that’s no reason to leave the older generation behind.”


MAIDSTONE Borough Council is- sueda statement in response to con- cerns about the newscheme: It said: “We conducted a public


consultation to look at any potential improvements that could be made to the park and ride service. “The Strategic Planning, Sustain-


ability and Transport Committee (SPST) on January 22, 2018, voted to retain the service. However, a new, temporary service model would be adopted for a period of 12months. “The primary change would


mean thatpeoplewouldpay topark as opposed as to ride. Operating hourswould be extended to 7pm. “A legal consultation was carried


out to gather further comments about the tariffs for parking atWill- ington Street andLondonRoadpark and ride sites. This closed to the public onMarch 12. “The decision to promote the


changes to the service was taken to raise awareness of the impact to users andencourageparticipation as part of the consultation process.”


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