New £4.5m Yate Park and Ride opens in bid to tackle congestion

First West of England Managing Director Doug Claringbold, Cllr Steve Reade and MP Luke Hall Credit: South Gloucestershire Council.

A £4.5m park and ride has opened in south Gloucestershire today (7 February).

The transport hub on Badminton Road in Yate has been built to encourage commuters travelling towards Yate or Bristol city centre to leave their cars and instead use public transport, cycle, walk or lift share.

The site, which has been under construction since early last year, includes 198 parking spaces, 46 cycle parking spaces, and improved bus stops.

Further facilities including electric vehicle charging points and click-and-collect lockers will be installed in the coming weeks.

The Y1, Y2, Y4 and Y6 services, which serve Yate and Chipping Sodbury from the city centre and Southmead, will stop at the Park and Ride, which will also be used by metrobus services when they extend to the area.

It is hoped the new site will "help reduce traffic along the congested A432 Badminton Road corridor," South Gloucestershire Council said.

"The A432 corridor will continue to benefit from investment in public transport over the next five years, which will see bus service provision improve," it continued.

The car park will also be available for rail users at Yate Station, which is just an eight-minute walk away.

Parking bays at the new Park and Ride in Yate. Credit: Paul Gillis / BPM Media

It will be open seven days a week, excluding bank holidays.

Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Environment and Strategic Infrastructure Cllr Steve Reade said: “The site offers commuters a credible alternative to using their car for journeys into Bristol city centre and will also provide an all-day parking option for people visiting Yate and Chipping Sodbury, reducing congestion on local roads.

“Anyone traveling into Bristol city centre or around the Yate and Chipping Sodbury area can also now use the park and ride to easily switch to public transport, car sharing, walking or cycling.

“The new facility will support sustainable travel in Yate, Chipping Sodbury and the surrounding area and is part of our commitment to create more green travel options for our residents and visitors. It will additionally contribute towards our Climate Emergency goals by helping to reduce carbon emissions and improving air quality.”

Doug Claringbold, Managing Director, First West of England, said: “We are delighted to have collaborated with South Gloucestershire Council on this exciting new initiative helping to encourage more customers to use public transport and contribute to a cleaner environment for all of us.

“We are proud to be the first UK public transport operator to sign-up to ambitious science-based targets to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and to operate a 100 per cent zero-emission fleet by 2035.

“The vital role of public transport has never been clearer in helping to address the challenges of climate change, and we are committed to helping deliver a more sustainable future for the communities we serve.”