Park and ride closed until weather improves
Preston's £2.5million 'white elephant' park and ride will stay closed until the weather gets better, Lancashire's road chief has said.
The gates on the Bluebell Way facility in Fulwood are still locked shut after Lancashire County Hall bosses said they did not have enough grit to ensure it was safe during the recent cold snap.
It is now due to stay closed with more cold weather expected in the coming days, despite Preston's other park and rides remaining open.
It comes as negotiations continue with Royal Preston Hospital and Preston North End to see whether staff or football fans could make use of the site.
Dialogue has also been opened with BAE Systems, which is considering using the facility as a staff car park with a shuttle to its Samlesbury site.
County Coun Keith Young, cabinet member for highways and transport at County Hall, said: "One of the reasons it is locked up is we are still under the Government's audit not to grit or prepare to keep clear other than 40-45% of our trunk roads.
"The officers advised me it would make sense to leave it closed.
"We are looking at the bus service and we are looking in what ways we can make the site more attractive.
"It is my intention and the intention of the highways officers to do all we can to make it into a viable investment."
Asked if the facility would reopen given a period of good weather, he added: "I'm sure it will."
With more freezing weather expected this week, Coun Young said the council was "still not anywhere near back to a safe level" of grit and stocks were still being conserved.
Grit bins are not being refilled as doing so would need 800 tonnes of salt alone, he added.
County Coun Jennifer Mein, Labour group leader at Lancashire County Hall, said: "I don't quite understand the logic of not having it open in case of a cold snap.
"I'm in full support of the negotiations with the hospital and Preston North End.
"I would like to see a bus running off there on to the employment estate and into town."
Last month, the notorious empty park-and-ride was cleared of piles of snow – while other city streets remained an icy hazard.
Highways bosses sent a snow plough to clear the 548-space facility at Bluebell Way in Fulwood, which has only attracted a handful of drivers since it opened in May last year.
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Weather for Preston
Thursday 29 July 2010
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 15 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 15 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
