Steve Brown Head of Infrastructure and Communities Shropshire Council 25th April 2019 Dear Steve, Further to our consultation response and discussions with you and senior colleagues over a number of weeks, we are writing to set out our concerns with the Park & Ride proposals. The Shrewsbury Park & Ride has suffered from cuts in recent years resulting in a service which is not regular or reliable enough; or a positive enough experience for visitors and workers in our town. The substantial pricing increases proposed - to meet a modest savings target of £50,000 without making any improvements to the service - would be detrimental to the town centre economy and its reputation for access - which is already a challenge for the County town. Ticket prices are a big factor for people using transport, something which was clearly demonstrated when Shrewsbury BID funded free travel on Wednesdays over Christmas which resulted in a 38 per cent increase in passenger numbers. Increasing the standard fare, removing the concessionary pass discount and removing the group ticket would effectively incentivise people to drive into the town centre, or may even put them off visiting completely. Our members are particularly concerned by the removal of the group ticket which contradicts and undermines the hierarchy of the new car parking strategy introduced in November. Without a group ticket, it would be the same price for two people to drive and park in the town centre all day rather than using the Park and Ride - clearly counterproductive to the Council’s aim of reducing town centre congestion and pollution. The proposed 25 per cent increase in standard price is too great a rise, and we are concerned that removing the concessionary pass discount would reduce passenger numbers and negatively impact footfall in the town centre. Overall we believe the proposals to be short-sighted and we are concerned that the wider economic impact hasn’t been considered - we call on you to rethink the policy. As discussed yesterday we look forward to meeting with you to discuss a way forward for the Shrewsbury Park & Ride, both in the short and long term, which supports the town centre economy and the Business Community we represent. Yours sincerely,
Mike Matthews Chair
Seb Slater Executive Director
Copy: Cllr Peter Nutting, Cllr Steve Davenport, Clive Wright, Mark Barrow, Gemma Davies