Revised policy may see park-and-rides at service stations

02 April 2008

The Highways Agency has published a new policy on motorway and trunk road service stations, including plans to integrate more with park-and-ride schemes.

The HA will investigate how service areas can become more sustainable by considering a number of new ideas which could lead to sites being used for conference facilities, coach interchanges or to provide a base for park-and-ride or park-and-car share schemes.

Any development planned for service areas will now be reviewed using a detailed assessment to protect the countryside and ensure that service areas do not become ‘destinations in their own right’.

Roads minister, Tom Harris, said the aims would include reducing the number of single occupancy vehicles on the roads. ‘We want to see service areas become more sustainable so we will now consider, in the right circumstances, the development of transport interchanges such as park-and-ride facilities or coach interchanges at service areas,’ he said.

Other improvements include a new monitoring and rating system and improved facilities to encourage drivers to take a break, to avoid tiredness. The HA also wants to constrain the amount of retailing space to prevent the services becoming destinations in their own right, but the new policy actually allows for an increase in retailing space of 8%, plus an additional 50sqm for the sale of local products.

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Revised policy may see park-and-rides at service stations

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