downsmail.co.uk FEWhad belief in the LibDems’


policy formodal shift to solve Maidstone’s ghastly and rapidly- growing traffic nightmares, and the borough council’s latest decision on Park and Ride is probably the policy’s last gasp. The councilwanted us to give up


driving and use Park and Ride, cycling andwalking instead.AGovernment inspector supported the council in approving our latest Local Planwith all the extra houses and other development. But Park andRide is costly to run and


difficult to sell to the public, and as the councilwas forced tomake cuts and economies, big changesweremade earlier this year. The divisive onewas charging to park,with this payment entitling car occupants to use Park andRide buses free. The big users beforewere residentswith


bus passes. For them, both parking and the journeyswere free. They protested, were ignored - and votedwith their feet. Theywalked to bus stops and used service buses at no charge – or drove to town. It has killedmuch Park andRide use


and the council cannot nowjustify the heavy losses.Other operators are being asked to put forward proposals, but do not hold your breath. We have lostArmstrongRoad and


Si�ingbourneRoad Park andRide, and I nowforecastWillington Street and Allingtonwill go aswell. Strangely, I have not found ge�ing in to


town by car fromEast Farleighmy biggestMaidstone problem. It is busy, at times a nightmare, but such is the general weight of traffic, problems nowarise all over the urban area and inmany villages. Trymodal shift on that problem. I had a 4pmappointment at the Village


Hotel and gavemyself 45minutes from East Farleigh. The ancient village bridge and railway crossing bothworked


Death of Park and Ride


I REFER to the article “Park and Ride service ruined” published in theDecember edition. IwasMaidstone Borough Council’s


specialist transport officer recruited to introduce Park and Ride intoMaidstone, which startedwith the opening of Willington Street inDecember 1989. The Park and Ride concept for


Maidstonewas championed by the late MalcomRobertson, a long serving member of the council and formermayor whoworked tirelessly for its introduction intoMaidstone alongwithmany other members of the (then) planning and transportation commi�ee. Park and Ride did have detractors, butwas supported by many businesses and the Chamber of Commerce. The roots of the adopted Parking


38 Maidstone Weald January 2019


Change, but notmodal shift MailMarks 


DENNISFOWLE President dennisfowle28@gmail.com


seriously againstme – two queues of cars were facing each other in themiddle of the bridge – and Imade itwith aminute to spare. Because I could notmanage a rush-hour right turn fromthe hotel, I decided to try theAylesford/Hermitage Lane route – and that tookme 80 minutes. I used to travel faster to and back fromwork in Blackfriars, London, 25 years ago. We aredesperately overcrowdedin


Maidstone andtheGovernmentwants to loadmuchmore onus in the next 15 years or so. It ismadness (more onBrexit in a moment!). I still think the town centremayproduce


some of its own solutions. Manymulti- national stores andshops are facing enormous challenges,much fromthe internet, andI think theywill continue to collapse or cut back. I still fear for our House of Fraser. Thesewill be replacedeither by small


businesses (at rents landlordswill have to reduce) or, asGovernment suggests, by residential accommodation. Supermarkets andbig storeswillmove


to the outskirts because they knowthe significance of convenientparking (note our futureMarks andSpencers). Maidstone is still likely to have a busy


andpopular town centre, but it is changing. The traffic loadcandiminish andspread


out across theday andevening.Butwe shall still needthe carparks at reasonable prices. Thingswill shift – but not to amodal


shift.


Strategy forMaidstone lay in the introduction of a residents’ parking scheme to free streets fromlong-stay parking byworkerswhowould be relocated to Park and Ride, providing more space for residents. Town centre car parkswere designed to


encourage shorter stay shoppers through a pricingmechanismwhich deterred all day parking. The strategy set out an overall “break even” position for parking,with pay and display income supporting a loss making Park and Ride. The resultwas a successful Park and


Ride schemewhich, in the late 1990s, had four sites. The schemewas so successful, it was copied bymany other towns. At its zenith,Maidstone Park and Ride


boasted about 1500 parking spaces and intercepted about 1,000workers’ cars each day before they arrived in the town centre, reducing pollution and congestion.


Don’tabandonBrexithope BYmassive coincidence, I arranged


lunch atChartwell onDecember 11 – the day of themeaningful Parliamentary vote on Brexitwas due (but postponed). I thought ofWinstonChurchill and Theresa May.WhatwouldWinston have done if he had inherited Brexit as he inherited our strategy inWWII? I admit he is one ofmy great historical heroes and I think he would have cut through somuch nonsense to lead us to a fast and satisfactory Brexit to honour the nation’s referendumvote. I knowfromnumerous contacts that


many inMaidstone are appalledby the wayTheresaMay ishandlingBrexit, and howshe ispreparedto surrender to theEU onseveral elements of thedraftwithdrawal agreement. I thought shewould be a respected, honest and democratic Prime Minister, leading and consulting her chosen cabinet team. I nowsee a dictatorial “president”working behind the backs of her cabinet, Parliament and the people, trying to bully theminto submission after denying them meaningful consideration of significant documents.Her gamble is not paying off. At the time ofwriting, there is noway of


knowing howthiswill end.My feeling is that further detailed negotiationswith the EUwill be tortuous and painful and a bespoke trade dealwill not endwell for the nation.Canada andNorway have paved away and this iswhere our politicians need to start. Ido not get a feeling of there beingmanyBOBS (Bored ofBrexit) inMaidstone.We knowthis is the biggest challenge facing our nation since Churchill’swar. I have abandoned hope on TheresaMay – but not on Parliament taking us to a Brexitwhichwill lead us after teething difficulties to prosperity and proudly holding our heads high throughout theworld.


Fareswere good value,with children


travelling free.Many of the buseswere decorated by local schoolswhich gave a local theme and pride to the service. Before Christmas, a successful Park and Sail service a�racted large numbers of people fromthewest ofMaidstone and Medway. Sowhat happened?Abigmistake inmy


viewwas the removal of Park and Ride fromthe town centre parking strategy. This left it as a “stand alone” costwithout cross-subsidy fromotherMaidstone parking revenue. The other key element is that Park and


Ride does not run itself. It requires careful management, knowledge and close liaison with the bus operator to ensure reliability. This expertise has been lost and, together with the removal of full time a�endants, the creeping perception of service deterioration has led to reduced use.


Comment


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