COMMUTERS gave a mixed reaction after parking charges were finally introduced at two of Oxford’s park-and-ride car parks yesterday.

A £3 daily charge was brought in for drivers who park for more than 11 hours at Thornhill off the A40 at Sandhills, or at Water Eaton near Kidlington.

Some drivers at Thornhill said they did not object to paying the charge, while others said they were unhappy, and would avoid paying the extra cost by parking in residential streets nearby.

Steve Smith, 40, from Botley, an IT worker who commutes to London, said: “I parked for free in a side street in Sandhills this morning.

“If I paid the £3 charge five days a week it could cost me an extra £600 a year and I already pay £1,000 a year for my travelcard to London.

“If everyone who parked here paid then it would reduce the cost but the system has been designed to target London commuters.

“I would consider paying £1.50, but £3 is too much so I will keep parking in side streets until the council stops me.”

Lynn Brookes, who lives near Wantage, parked at Thornhill so she could visit a friend in London.

She said: “This has been free for years – I found the new system quite difficult.”

Megan Todd, 23, who lives in Sandhills, works in marketing for a firm in London and walks to Thornhill park-and-ride from her home, so she will not pay the new charge. She said: “It’s understandable that some drivers will park in our streets to avoid the charge because living costs are high, but there is already limited space for residents’ cars so I hope it doesn’t become a problem.”

County councillor for transport Rodney Rose said there would be a review in six months’ time to see if commuter parking in side streets was a major problem. He added: “I wouldn’t want to bring in permit parking – a single yellow line with a four-hour restriction in the middle of the day would be enough to put commuters off. “Obviously if we get reports of lots of commuters parking in side streets we will look at it straight away.

“The charges have been brought in because we shouldn’t be subsidising people who choose to work in London and not live there.

“The charges will pay for upkeep and enforcement, and 600 extra spaces will be created at Thornhill after Christmas. “You can pay the charge by cash or card and I haven’t had any reports of problems.”

The charge was due to come in on November 26, but was delayed due to flooding.

It was delayed again last Monday due to a problem with the online payment system.

Thornhill park-and-ride, which has 855 spaces, is popular with commuters catching the Oxford Tube and X90 bus services to London. All spaces were taken by midday yesterday while three quarters of the 758 spaces at Water Eaton were full by noon.

Under the new charges, anyone parking for more than 11 hours will pay £3 up to 24 hours, and £3 for each subsequent 24-hour period, up to a maximum of 72 hours.

The scheme has cost the council about £200,000 for machines and other changes, but it is expecting to generate £150,000 a year.

Drivers already pay for parking at city council-controlled Peartree, Seacourt and Redbridge park and ride sites after daily charges of £1.50 and a weekly fee of £7.50 were introduced in October.