Park and ride's extended hours a 'no brainer'

Opening hours at a park-and-ride in Taunton are to be extended to try and tackle town-centre traffic and help hospital staff.

Taunton Gateway, near the village of Ruishton, is open six days a week from 06:20 to 20:15 GMT, with buses taking passengers into town and Musgrove Park Hospital.

Somerset Council, which owns the facility, has now unanimously approved plans for services to run every 20 minutes until 23:15 GMT six days a week.

Councillor Caroline Ellis, said the decision was a "no brainer".

Taunton Gateway, on the A358 near junction 25 of the M5, has enough space for 850 cars, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Fares are capped at £1 per journey from both of the town's park and rides, funded by a grant from the Department for Transport (DfT).

The council says it hopes the extended hours will help ease town congestion and help staff at Musgrove Park Hospital, which is facing parking issues due to a new multi-story carpark being put on hold.

New edge-of-town developments, including 150 new homes within walking distance of the Gateway park and ride, are also expected to increase demand.

Councillor Derek Perry said he could see no reason whatsoever to refuse the proposals.

"I can't imagine that any of us here see anything controversial in this," he said.

"The fact that now, with this application, nobody local has objected, underlines that people have come to accept this site as part of the local area."

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