Colchester is the first town in the country piloting Park Active as a more sustainable route into town centres. The approach is part of a national pilot programme being led by the British Parking Association (BPA) and supported by the UK Government.
Simple idea
The central idea for Park Active is simple: to encourage motorists to park in more peripheral car parks and to actively complete the remainder of their journey by walking or cycling, thereby reducing congestion, bringing down pollution and enabling healthier communities for the benefit of all.
National pilot
By piloting ‘Park Active for Colchester’, Colchester Borough Council brought together the issues of falling parking demand and an increased appetite for active travel through walking and cycling. To achieve this, the Borough Council worked with the North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) who are responsible for managing the town’s parking provision. Together, they combined forces with the BPA to become the first pilot town to enable the national Park Active initiative and develop learning about its wider benefits and branding.
Ticking lots of boxes
In piloting Park Active, Colchester Borough Council was able to help develop and test an approach that ticks lots of boxes in providing a safe, warm and sustainable welcome back to town and city centres, including:
- encouraging people to use peripheral parking sites that are cheaper and more accessible
- encouraging more active travel options such as cycling and walking
- helping reduce traffic and freeing up central parking for short-stay shoppers and blue badge holders
- helping reduce congestion and improving air quality in town and city centres.
- enabling more space for social distancing and freedom of movement
Future innovations planned
Potential future innovations to add value to the ‘Park Active for Colchester’ scheme include the provision of secure cycle parking to assist regular users, and the introduction of e-cargo bikes to help in transporting shopping from the town centre.
Essex County Council has now submitted an ambitious bid for further Government Emergency Active Travel funding to the Department for Transport that includes a segregated cycle route running South-North across town from one of the Park Active sites. The route will involve the adoption of School Streets, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 20 mph speed limits as part of longer-term support for active travel.
Find out more
You can register to find out more about Park Active and potentially get involved through the BPA at www.park-active.co.uk
This case study about Park Active for Colchester is part of a series on COVID-19 recovery prepared as part of the LGA’s updated revitalising town centres toolkit. This includes wider good practice on town centre travel, parking and access and the tracking of national trends provided by the People & Places Partnership.
Learn more about how a People, Places and Parking review might help identify Park Active sites as part of welcoming back town customers for good.
