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Park and Ride

Press release - 02 July 2020: Park and Ride - Sandon and Colchester - to reopen

Essex County Council’s Park & Ride (P&R) services will recommence operations from Monday 6th 2020.

Initially there will run to a reduced timetable, and services will only be provided from the Sandon P&R site in Chelmsford, and the Colchester P&R Site at the Junction 28 of the A12. The two sites will provide services between 7am-7pm Monday to Saturday, but passengers are advised to check the website or Social Media before traveling for any updates or changes, which could occur due to essential operation reasons.

The Chelmer Valley Site in Chelmsford, which had been used to house a temporary mortuary during COVID19, will not provide services at the current time. However, it will once again become operational at a later date when the necessary preparations have been made and it is safe to reopen the site.

Deputy Leader of Essex County Council and Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Councillor Kevin Bentley said “We have worked hard to ensure that the temporary closure of our Park and Ride services due to COVID19 restrictions were kept to a minimum, and the Sandon and Colchester sites now look forward to welcoming passengers back. The services are valued, high quality and sustainable public transport that help to reduce congestion and contribute to a cleaner environment in line with our Green Infrastructure Strategy.” 

The services will be operating in line with current government Social Distancing requirements and therefore there may be a slightly longer wait to board a vehicle due to reduce capacity onboard passengers are advised to be patient and follow advice from service staff;  however a new queuing system will be introduced to make the process as efficient and safe as possible. In addition, the P&R site will soon also benefit from another new service; the ‘Park and Pedal’. The service will be available shortly, with a two month introductory offer of free parking (for Park & Pedal customers only); the normal cost of Park & Pedal is £3 per day for parking, or there is a £20 per month option which then also includes the use of a secure locker on site.

Bus

Chelmer Valley Park and Ride
Broomfield Hospital Shuttle Bus
Sandon Park and Ride
Colchester Park and Ride

Park and Ride 

There are three Park and Ride services, two in Chelmsford (Sandon and Chelmer Valley) and one in Colchester. All these sites offer convenient transport on modern, air conditioned buses, using designated bus lanes into the City and Town Centres, with stops at key locations. A shuttle service to Broomfield Hospital is available from Chelmer Valley.

Facilities

The sites have high-quality terminus buildings with the following facilities:

  • free and secure parking (1,500 spaces at Sandon, 1003 at Chelmer Valley, 1000 at Colchester)
  • covered cycle parking facilities for 20 bikes
  • waiting areas
  • toilets including disabled facilities
  • baby changing facilities at Sandon and Colchester
  • helpful and courteous staff

 

 

The height restrictions at the sites are:

  • Chelmer Valley – 2.0m
  • Sandon – 2.2m
  • Colchester – 2.4m

 

The Park and Ride sites offer eco-friendly transport and parking solutions, improving congestion and CO2 emissions by significantly reducing the number of vehicles travelling into the urban areas. Wind turbines situated at both Chelmsford sites produce renewable energy, and all sites benefit from Sedum roofs to the terminus building offering natural insulation.

The sites have been landscaped to attract wildlife, with Chelmer Valley having designated wild flower beds to attracted bees and butterflies.

Both Chelmsford sites have been accredited with Park Mark – The Safer Parking Award and an HM Government Energy Performance Certificate rating of A+. In addition, the Chelmer Valley site has been accredited with the European BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology - 4 star, excellent) for post construction assessment of sustainable buildings and SBD (Secured By Design) - the official police security initiative.

 

Electric car charge points

Essex County Council has two park and ride sites in Chelmsford; Sandon Park and Ride (CM2 7RU) and Chelmer Valley Park and Ride (CM3 3PR). Each park and ride site has two dual 7kW eVolt chargepoints operated by Electric Blue. No subscription or connection fee is required, simply download a mobile app or order a RFID card and you can start using them. For more information about how to connect, costs, directions and availability please visit www.electricblueuk.com/essex.

More information on the charging points.