Park and Ride bus service will serve Lancaster Business Park after U-turn by bosses

Passengers will still be allowed to catch the 'Park and Ride' bus service from a major Lancaster employment centre following a U-turn by bosses.

The service to and from the car park near the M6 Junction 34 to Lancaster city centre was to have limited stops only after years of buses picking up passengers from the Lancaster Business Park on Caton Road.

But after complaints from passengers, Lancashire County Council has this week confirmed that the Business Park will be an official stop on the route.

It had originally been decided that from Monday December 2, the Park and Ride service would be restricted to passengers travelling between the Junction 34 site, and Lancaster city centre and the Infirmary.

A bus user said after this decision was announced that it "has disrupted the daily routines of many working professionals.

"Several of my colleagues are now unable to arrive at work on time, as the added walking time from the park and ride stop is incompatible with their start times. This adjustment has caused unnecessary stress and forced changes to work patterns and is causing significant stress.

“This decision severely impacts individuals with limited mobility, who now face an unreasonable expectation to walk from the Park and Ride to their offices. Caton Road is not fit for safe pedestrian use—its poor maintenance and lack of gritting during icy weather render it treacherous, particularly in winter conditions.

"Additionally, the pedestrian pathways along Caton Road are unsafe during and after rainfall due to poor drainage and maintenance. The road frequently floods, leaving pedestrians no choice but to navigate puddles or risk being soaked by passing vehicles splashing water onto the path. This issue exacerbates the already dangerous conditions on Caton Road and further demonstrates why expecting Park and Ride users to walk from the main stop is impractical, unfair and hazardous.“

The Park and Ride bus service is operated by Lonsdale Coaches, under contract to Lancashire County Council.

A spokesperson for Lancaster Bus Users' Group, who represent local bus passengers, said earlier this week: "When introduced, in 2016, the service was always intended as a non-stop link between the parking site just off junction 34 of the M6 and the city centre. In 2019 it was extended to run to and from Lancaster Royal Infirmary and doubled in frequency to cater for staff and visitors at the hospital.

"Despite requests from the Bus Users’ Group and potential passengers, including employers of factories and workplaces along Caton Road, the County Council, which sponsors the service, always insisted that it was not for local use.

"The buses have never been particularly well-used. Provision of the Park and Ride car park was a planning condition of construction of the then-controversial Heysham Link Road (now known as the Bay Gateway), although that requirement did not extend to funding a bus service.

"Eventually, no doubt embarrassed by the existence of an underused car park, the powers-that-be managed to come up with some funding to provide a bus service into the city.

"The initial service was not very attractive, with buses running just once every 30 minutes into town and with no bus priority to give passengers any advantage over using their car. Unsurprisingly, despite dropping plans to charge for car parking as well as for the bus and allowing concessionary pass holders to ride for nothing, passenger use remained low.

"In 2019, the NHS, struggling with a shortage of car parking space for staff at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, provided extra funding that allowed the service to be extended to the Infirmary and doubled in frequency. Ridership rose, although there were still plenty of empty seats.

"At some stage, the service was altered so that buses observed all stops, which resulted in more passengers using the service, especially to reach various workplaces along Caton Road.

"This was good news for passengers, but the public record of the service’s registration with the Traffic Commissioner was never altered and this states that only the following stops should be observed.

"Now, for reasons that are not entirely clear, County Council has instructed Lonsdale Buses to stick to the registered bus stops only.

"Unsurprisingly, the move has not gone down well with passengers or with employers at businesses on Caton Road.

"The alternative services to the area, the 81 and 82, are infrequent and have a shorter operating day than the Park & Ride. They also do not serve the hospital, which is an important destination for people living near Caton Road.

"The Bus Users’ Group has therefore joined employers and passengers in calling for the County Council and Lonsdale Buses to allow the full use of the service to all passengers at the earliest opportunity."

Jim Davies, chair of the Bus Users’ Group said: “The Park and Ride service requires significant funding from the county council to operate and it appears illogical and unfair that this public money is not being used fully to benefit the travelling public."

Matt Townsend, Lancashire County Council's director of Highways and Transport, said: "The Caton Road Park and Ride service was initially operated on the basis of a limited stop between the Park and Ride site and the city centre.

"However, over the years, a number of customers have been using the service to/from the Business Park on Caton Road.

"Following concerns raised, it has been decided to revert back to the original limited stop arrangement, but we have now agreed with Lonsdale Coaches to include the Business Park stops as official bus stops on the route."

The council also said they had assessed the condition of Caton Road as part of their county wide surveys and had not identified any works required for the next year's programme.

We have also contacted Lonsdale Coaches for comment.