Canterbury Park and Ride

Canterbury Park and Ride is a park and ride system operated by Stagecoach in East Kent in the English historic cathedral city of Canterbury. It was designed to reduce pollution in the city centre.

Canterbury Park and Ride
LocationCanterbury
Canterbury
Operated byStagecoach in East Kent
Canterbury City Council (funded)
ConnectionsCanterbury East railway station at Pin Hill bus stop

History

The Park and Ride scheme was launched in 1991.[1] It was initially operated by the East Kent Road Car Company using three single-deck vehicles; the company was taken over by the Stagecoach Group in 1993.[2] The service was then run by Stagecoach until 2008, when it was taken over by council-owned operator Kent Top Travel.[3] The service returned to Stagecoach operation in the summer of 2013 after the five-year contract to Kent Top Travel expired. Stagecoach proposed improvements to the Park & Ride scheme including free wi-fi, extended operating hours and the use of a new fleet of environmentally friendly buses.[4]

Operation

Wincheap, Sturry Road and New Dover Road Park & Ride routes operate every 10 minutes while the Hospital Shuttle operates every 1 0 minutes.

The initial Stagecoach operation consisted of ALX200 and ALX400 buses in a silver and purple livery.[5] Under Kent Top Travel ownership, a fleet of Volvo B9TL/Optare Olympus and Volvo B7RLE/Optare Esteem buses in a Lime and Silver "Love your city" branded livery.[6] The current Stagecoach fleet consists of Enviro 300, Dennis Enviro 400 and Optare Solo SR buses in a branded white livery.[7]

Routes

The scheme currently has 4 routes with 3 running to Canterbury Bus Station in the city centre.[8] Potential for further sites at Thanington, Cockering Farm and Harbledown were studied by the city council in 2009, but none were proceeded with.[9]

Sturry Road Park & Ride

This route runs from Sturry Road Park & Ride terminus along the A28/Sturry Road to Canterbury Bus Station, passing the Magistrates Court, City Wall and ASDA.[10]

Wincheap Park & Ride

This route runs from Wincheap Park & Ride terminus through the Wincheap Industrial Estate, past Pin Hill bus stop and the connection to the Chatham Main Line at Canterbury East, before ending at Canterbury Bus Station.[10]

New Dover Road Park & Ride

This route runs from New Dover Road Park & Ride terminus along Old Dover Road to Canterbury Bus Station, passing Canterbury Health Centre and returns via Old Dover Road and Canterbury College.[10]

References
  1. Free wi-fi on new Park and Ride buses in Canterbury Hawkindge Gazette, 28 September 2013
  2. Brown, Stewart J (September 1993): "Buses in Britain". Capital Transport, p.180
  3. Kent Top Travel takes on Canterbury park-and-ride Archived 21 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Bus and Coach magazine, 24 October 2008
  4. Kentish Gazette, http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentish_gazette/news/Stagecoach-wins-contract-to-run-1595/
  5. "Stagecoach East Kent 17402 ALX 400 bodied Dennis Trident Y 103 GHC". Flickr. 26 October 2006. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  6. "PO58 KPT Canterbury Park and Ride at the Whitefriars Centre". Flickr. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  7. "Canterbury Park and Ride 10064 - SN63 NCD". Flickr. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  8. Canterbury City Council Park & Ride page, https://www.canterbury.gov.uk/parking-travel-roads/parking/park-and-ride/
  9. Joy as Canterbury park and ride plan scrapped Archived 28 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Kent & Sussex Courier, 13 January 2009
  10. "Park and Ride - Canterbury City Council". Canterbury City Council. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
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