Title:
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The role of park and ride in implementing a clear zone
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The growth in traffic in the City of Winchester has led to levels of congestion which have been increasingly seen as unacceptable to the local population. To recover the situation, a long term planning goal is seen as the development of a Clear Zone i.e. an area in which the environment impact of road traffic is minimised. A fundamental aspect of this is the use of edge of city Park and Ride, to encourage a reduction in car use in the city and to meet a growing demand for access, essential to the economic and social well-being of the city. The aim of this research has been to assess the role of Park and Ride in a range of related policy scenarios. Surveys of drivers parking in city centre and Park and Ride facilities were undertaken to achieve this. The existing Park and Ride site reaches its capacity of 330 spaces before 10:00 on most weekdays. Over 250 vehicles are presently removed from the Chesil Street inbound radial as a result, reducing peak period traffic flows. Some localised traffic generation was identified as occurring on Garnier Road, amounting to between 14 and 25 vehicles. Weekend demand was lower, 200 people, and traffic impacts were more dispersed. The availability of additional Park and Ride capacity would encourage 12% of drivers, surveyed at central off-street parking sites, to switch to Park and Ride. Demand was particularly high among weekday long-stay commuters. The introduction of two new Park and Ride sites located around Winchesters' periphery, would engender a shift in mode preference, from car to Park and Ride, by 15% of drivers surveyed. Such demand was of particular significance given the lack of any restraint on central area car use.
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