University may be used as a park-and-ride site

He has written to bosses at the city council suggesting they make use of it for a park-and-ride site for traffic entering the city from the Hallow direction.

Mr Foster said "it makes total sense" to use it as a park-and-ride site on Saturday and Sunday when it is usually almost completely empty.

He has regular meetings with university vice-chancellor David Green and says the idea has been discussed with him.

"It makes total sense to use the existing park-and-ride sites whenever possible. At the weekend, the car park is very nearly always empty - what a waste of space," said Mr Foster.

"We could maximise the use of the car park by making it a park-and-ride site that benefits visitors to the city. They could park in a secure site, just off Henwick Road, and buses can transport them quickly into town."

He has written to city council planning officer John Hobbs to urge him to consider the suggestion. "I have written to John Hobbs with this suggestion and sincerely hope something can be done quickly - possibly before the Victorian Fayre and Christmas shopping period," he said.

"The university, under the leadership of David Green, is an important asset to our city, and not just for its academic value, but because it has public assets that can be used by the community - this is just one example."

City council leader Coun Simon Geraghty said: "We are more than willing to look into the suggestion, and Mike Foster does have a good point that the car park is unused on weekends.

"I would say Saturday is the only day where traffic tends to really come in to Worcester, and Sunday tends to be quiet.

"Having a park-and-ride on a Sunday might not be viable, because of the cost implications, but it might be on a Saturday. Nothing is free though, and we have to ask ourselves if the revenue will pay for hiring the buses."

He also said the county council budget - which would have to pay for the park-and-ride - might not be sufficient to cover the costs.