Welcome for Port boost
Russell Steele • Published 31 Jan 2012 10:30
3 Comments
SENIOR councillors have welcomed the green light for two major new public transport projects in Port Glasgow.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport rubber-stamped investment in a new park and ride facility for the town on Friday, alongside cash for an upgrade of the town's bus station.
The park and ride facility will be built at Highholm Avenue, with SPT putting up £770,000.
The authority is also shelling out £650,000 for the bus terminus refurbishment.
SPT member for Inverclyde, Councillor David Wilson, said: "There is a clear demand for a park and ride in Port Glasgow and I am delighted we now have the funding to make that a reality.
"Alongside improvements to the bus station, this will be a real boost to the local community."
The park and ride facility will have space to accommodate 150 vehicles.
Work to be carried out at the bus station will include road surfacing, new bus shelter areas, improved lighting and an upgrade of the CCTV system.
Inverclyde Council's safe, sustainable communities convener, Councillor Robert Moran, above right, said: "Combined with the £1.5million the council has committed, this is another leap forward in our efforts to transform Port Glasgow town centre.
"We want to encourage commuters to use public transport and it is welcome that the growing number of people using bus services will be able to enjoy modern facilities.
"I am grateful to SPT for making this financial commitment at a time when budgets are so severely pressured.
"This is great news for the people who live, work and travel through Port Glasgow."
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 31 Jan 12
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
-
gran61
63 posts
Jan 31, 13:20
Report commentIt might help if the buses stopped at the shelters they are supposed to.
Recommend?
Yes 3
No 1
-
RABCARSWELL
74 posts
Jan 31, 17:16
Report commentI see it didn't take long for councillor Moran to get in on the act.
As for councillor Wilson,he is quite wrong in claiming that the proposed park and ride facility would give direct access to the bus station,as stated recently in the Tele. My dictionary defines the word direct as going from one place to another without changing course or stopping. This is just not possible in this instance given that the park and ride will be on the wrong side of the railway track.
To suggest that the park and ride facility will boost trade in Port Glasgow town centre is not credible. It is likely to have the opposite effect.
I can't imagine shoppers leaving their vehicle at the park and ride,then having to walk through the train station onto Princes Street et cetera to do their shopping,and then-carrying shopping bags-having to retracing their steps back to the park and ride facility .
It is far more likely that shoppers,should they even bother to use the park and ride,will simply catch a train to spend their cash elsewhere,which would of course defeat the supposedly intended purpose of increasing local trade. The Higholm school site would therefore be wasted on car parking,when it could surely be developed into a more useful public facility.
I understand that some traders have already expressed similar views.
There should be a rethink on how better to utilise this investment for more practical public transport improvements,or have the dice already been cast?
Recommend? Yes 7
No 6
-
letitbe
8 posts
Jan 31, 21:23
Report commentRABCARSWELL.................I give up. I have read and re-read this story.Where does it say,in this article, that the park and ride facility will give "direct" access to the bus terminal?
Recommend? Yes 0
No 1
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.
