The commuter belt scheme in Oxfordshire has 850 spaces but no access to the nearby main road

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/17001898

A car park built for £51 million in Oxfordshire is lying empty because a council cannot connect it to the main road.

Planning problems are preventing motorists from using the 19-acre park and ride scheme in Eynsham until funding is secured to link it to the A40.

Aerial photographs show the 850-space site devoid of vehicles, despite its finished glossy tarmac, bus stops and green spaces. All major construction work was finished in January, followed by landscaping last month.

Although the car park could be cut off from the main road until 2027, local authorities have contracts to maintain it every week, cutting the grass and topsoiling and seeding when necessary.

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  • towerful@programming.devEnglish
    45·
    4 months ago

    I know this is fuckcars, but park-and-ride schemes are to remove cars from city centers.
    Park out of town, get a bus in for the day, bus back, and drive home.
    They are fairly popular and fairly effective around the UK.

    Yeh, it would be great if everyone had excellent bus/train service, but this is a decent stop gap

  • EvkobEnglish
    21·
    4 months ago

    Government when funding public transit: multiple feasibility studies, public opinion surveys, town hall meetings

    Government when funding car infrastructure: “Eh fuck it, plop it down and we’ll figure it out later”

    • golli@lemm.eeEnglish
      1·
      4 months ago

      To be fair the article mentions that they did have it figured out, but later canceled the connection, which was part of a separate project.

      Seems like the exact problem that could happen with anything, but ofc shouldn’t. Because it really is such a simple mistake that anyone with a brain, who is in charge of making those decisions, should look at the plans and see it. There for sure are systemic issues, if something this basic can fall through the cracks.

  • golli@lemm.eeEnglish
    9·
    4 months ago

    Besides the obvious fuck up, just judging from the picture in the article I also see a complete lack of solar panels or charging stations.

    Feels like when you are already spending such a huge sum just for a fancy place to store some cars, then you could at least add that functionality.

    • werefreeatlast@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      4 months ago

      Some kind of empty parking lot. They will eventually figure out how to bring the cars in. An elevator if it gets to that, but they will figure it out.