Aim is to boost town trade and ease pollution and congestion.
Local Councillors have agreed to spend Southport Area Committee funds to relieve Christmas shoppers of Park & Ride fees. The majority of the £1900 subsidy has been allocated by the councillors of Dukes Ward, which covers the town centre, – but councillors from other Southport wards are also supporting the move.
Dukes Ward councillor Tony Dawson (pictured above) says:
“It is good that all councillors in the town have agreed to chip in a bit of cash to make the Park and Ride facility free on each of the four Saturdays in the weeks running up to Christmas.”
“Although our main concern has to be the residents of our areas, anything which we can do to encourage people to buy locally, thus supporting the vitality and viability of local shops in our town centre has to be to the good.”
“Hopefully this will also bring fresh users to the Park & Ride scheme – people who will then also use this facility in future months and years.“
“The more people we can get to use the Park & Ride, the less pollution there is in the town centre air and the less congestion there is on the town centre roads at this busy time. This helps town centre residents as well as shoppers. People sometimes forget that there are 2000 residents living in and around the town centre whose journey times to their homes often get stretched at peak shopping times.
The air they have to breath is also affected by traffic fumes whether they are in their flats of going to-and-fro.“