THE cost of building
Winchester's second park-andride
site has soared to more
than £7m.
Winchester Friends of the Earth (FoE)
has condemned the county council for
splashing out on the scheme which is says
will be counter-productive.
The environmental campaigners say
park-and-ride will not reduce traffic levels
and is bleeding money from other
types of public transport.
FoE says the increase in cost of the
scheme has spiralled by 40 per cent in a
year. The council says the rise is nearer 20
per cent, and that the initial £5m cost was
for a different site .
FoE says the county council gives
£508,000 annually towards buses in
Winchester. The £7.1m could cover the
subsidy for at least a decade.
They also believe that the proposed
park-and-ride scheme, near junction
11 of the M3, will be counter-productive.
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Instead of reducing the vehicles entering
Winchester, it believes that numbers
will rise.
Commuters will use park-and-ride, so
freeing up city centre spaces, and attracting
more short-stay visitors.
Chris Gillham, of Winchester FoE,
added: "We know that despite assurances,
over 25 years, to reduce central car parking
in Winchester, no such action has
been taken."
He said council chiefs should reduce
city centre parking when the 864-space
venue at Hockley Link opens, which is
due to happen in 2010.
He added: "The county council, by giving
unqualified approval to the city for
yet another traffic-generating
car park, has given it
carte blanche to carry on
business as usual, which
means more traffic, more
carbon, and more air pollution."
In the past, county council
chiefs championed
park-and-ride schemes as a
way to make transport
greener.
A council spokeswoman
added that the initial estimated
cost was based on
the Badger Farm Road
plans.
Since then, building and
material costs had risen,
and several additions had
been made to the scheme.
They included new road
signs, extra barriers at
the car park, replacing
streetlights, and widening
and resurfacing
Bushfield Camp roundabout
nearby.
The spokeswoman
added: "Not only do we
have a more detailed
estimate now based on a
new site layout incorporating
substantial
earthworks to help
screen the car park
from the wider landscape,
we have also
incurred additional
design fees as a result
of the redesign."
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