Park and ride expansion welcomed by bus users

The potential expansion of a long-awaited park and ride service in Brighton and Hove has been welcomed by bus users.

Brighton & Hove City Council said it planned to use existing car parks around the city for the scheme – but has not yet confirmed which ones.

The authority said it hoped to open the first of the sites by July, providing the plans were approved by councillors at a meeting on Thursday.

Once established, the council said it would then be able to use the model to expand to other locations around the city.

The proposals were praised as a "great idea" by potential users of the scheme in the city, but concerns were raised that there could be too few parking spaces to match the demand for the service.

Irene Andres, who commutes by bus, said the expansion should go ahead.

"If we don't have public transport and if we don't open the city in every single way, then people are going to stop coming," she told BBC Radio Sussex.

Leon Mumford, who commutes on an existing park and ride route, said it was a "great scheme".

"If it's expanded then it'll be great. If there are different sites, I might get one that's slightly closer even more efficient than it is now."

Bus user Bill Wallsgrove added: "It sounds like a great idea. But I would imagine they need more capacity if they're going to run that system because already there are very limited spaces."

Trevor Muten, the council's cabinet member for transport, parking and public realm, said: "After decades of discussion, 2025 will be the year we deliver park and ride for the city."

Council officers said that using existing car parks, rather than building new ones, offered "flexibility" and was low cost.

But they said it was dependant on landowner co-operation, could be at sub-optimal locations and could affect the overall quality of the park and ride experience.

Once the first site is running, the council will introduce further locations around the city.

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