Park and ride solution for city congestion

A marketing company is helping to promote the introduction of the service, designed to relieve parking congestion in Durham City centre.

Three park and ride sites, with a total of 1,100 parking spaces, are under construction and are due to open on key approaches to the city on the weekend of Durham's Christmas Festival, on December 3 and 4.

The sites are at Carrville, just off the A1(M)/A690 to the north-east of the city, at Sniperley, off the A167/A691 to the north-west, and at Howlands Farm, on the A177 southern entry to Durham.

Each will be served by shuttle buses, operated by the Scarlet Band company, using bus-only lanes into the city centre, at ten-minute intervals.

The charge will be £1.70 per day and £1.50 for season ticket users. The price of parking on-street in the city centre is to increase when the scheme is introduced.

A £40,000 marketing budget has been set aside by Durham County Council to promote the £10m project.

The marketing team has come up with several ideas to help to raise the profile of the service, including a free use offer on the opening weekend.

David Miller, the county council's acting environment director, said: "This will help to promote the park and ride and potentially attract more people into the city centre from around the region at a crucial trading time of year.

"It is also the case that use of park and ride at the potentially very busy period will aid the safe management of traffic within the city centre."

The estimated cost of the free first weekend will be £1,700, but Mr Miller said it should prove beneficial.

"More people will be encouraged to use park and ride in the short to medium term, thus increasing potential income," he said.

"The concession is likely to provide good publicity for the service."

The free bus offer applies to the opening weekend only, with buses operating between 7am and 7pm on the Saturday, with a reduced service between 10am and 6pm on the Sunday.