Caerphilly County Borough Council’s has dropped charges for park and ride at train stations permanently.
Cllr Tom Williams, Labour’s cabinet member for highways, transportation and engineering, made the announcement as work began on a car park revamp at Pengam train station.
He said: “We are pleased to announce that we have decided against introducing charges for the use of park and ride facilities across the county borough, as was initially intended.
“This is great news for all commuters with free park and ride facilities making rail services more attractive and accessible to all.”
The council first mooted the idea of a £1.50 charge for commuters using park and ride back in 2010, under the control of Plaid Cymru.
Labour councillors and Labour AM Jeff Cuthbert opposed the plan and the council received more than 100 complaints about it.
In 2011 Plaid announced it had deferred the introduction of such charges because of a better than expected financial settlement from the Welsh Government.
Pengam train station car park will temporarily close for 30 weeks whilewhile work to upgrade the park and ride facilities is carried out.
The new development will see 180 parking spaces, increased parking spaces for disabled persons, a new access ramp to the southbound platform and new CCTV. The site will also benefit from improved lighting and new bus and train information.
Cllr Williams added: “Through expansion and upgrades, such as new CCTV and improved lighting, we will be able to provide people with better convenience and peace of mind that their car is in a safe location whilst they commute. Train travel continues to be extremely popular and upon completion of these refurbishments, we expect to attract more passengers, which will not only help reduce congestion but will benefit the environment as a more eco-friendly way of travelling.”
Guy Hardacre, managing director of contractors Raymond Brown Construction, said: “It is very pleasing to be involved in such an important scheme which aims to ease travelling conditions for commuters therefore substantially benefitting the local community. We have provided the infrastructure for a number of similar projects and we are now very much looking forward to working together with Caerphilly County Borough Council to successfully complete what will be our first such project within the county borough”.
Following the opening of the expanded Pengam park and ride facility, there will be more than a 1,000 rail park and ride spaces available for use across the county borough.
During the period of construction, alternative park and ride facilities are available at Bargoed, Ystrad Mynach, Aber and Caerphilly. Parking at Pengam will be prohibited on the station approach road however the station and ticket office will remain open throughout the works for pedestrians and cyclists.
Excellent news on the decision by a Labour controlled Caerphilly Council that Park & Ride Charges are to be permanently removed from all our local rail stations. This measure will help Arriva Trains to attract more passengers but one has to ask when will they keep their side of the contract they signed with the WAG on increasing and upgrading their Rolling Stock.
Both the Caerphilly Council and the WAG are doing their utmost to persude commuters to use the rail, its about time Arriva Trains kept to their promises when they signed their lucrative contract for the Valley Lines.
Good for the Labour Administration in reversing the Plaid Cymru Resolution to charge for park and ride facility in the borough, this has to be a common sence action from an experienced group of Councillors who put the interests of the citizens of the borough first.
There are still other taxes imposed on the citizens of the Borough under the last Plaid Cymru administration, which need to be looked at, and, if possible readdressed.
The fact is that all council`s levy a Council Tax, that, together with Government financial settlements should enable Caerphilly council to balance its books for the statutory responsibilities it has to provide essencial services. and, lets not forget the huge numbers of additional homes being built in the borough which has increased the council`s income year on year from Council Tax revenues for a considerable time.
If the number crunchers, working for us, and employed by Caerphilly Council cannot balance its books without squeezing its ratepayers till the pips squeek then they should be told to look for employment elsewhere, Barclay`s Bank for instance, where their brand of creative income expansion would be welcome.
Caerphilly council`s new Labour administration should now commit itself to reviewing all the hidden charges and increases imposed upon the Citizens of the borough under Plaid Cymru.
This has to be welcome news to all especially after the, above inflation, rail fare increases that are to be permitted by the rail regulator. I now look forward to Arriva Trains providing comfortable trains instead of the basic provision that we 'enjoy' now.
I have previously written, in 'Caerphilly Observer', that the old slam door carriages pulled by a superannuated diesel some years ago were better, both in comfort and carrying capacity, than the trains operated now. This council decision should attract more passengers so "over to you Arriva!"
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">delighted that Labour controlled Caerphilly council have cancelled Plaid Cymru's planned introduction of daily £1.50 Park & ride charges— Jeff Cuthbert (@JeffCuthbert) August 30, 2012
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The cancellation of these Park & ride charges were the right and proper thing to do. Labour are determined to stand up for working class people and we are demonstrating our commitment by cancelling the previous administrations planned Park and ride charges and by introducing a Living Wage. A tax on commuters would have hit the everyday person in the pocket and would have acted as a disincentive to work. People are being clobbered by this Tory / Lib Dem shambles but it is not beyond the scope of the local council to make decisions that benefit those who are feeling the squeeze.
Free parking is also important where there is housing near to a station. Many residents, particularly those in narrow terraced streets, are frustrated by commuter parking during the day. The CCTV supported expansion and redevelopment of the Park and Ride at Pengam Station will reduce this problem for the people of Glanynant, who are particularly badly affected.
If parking charges had been introduced, it would have discouraged passengers from using the new facility and would not have helped solve the congestion. We have been campaigning for this for the past five years and it is good that major steps are now being taken to improve things for residents and commuters.