Jumping the gun over park-and-ride (From Oxford Mail)

Jumping the gun over park-and-ride

2:00pm Saturday 11th February 2012 in News

IT may be a sign of wishful thinking, but it seems someone has been a tad premature over plans for a Bicester park-and-ride.

A signpost has been put up at a new roundabout on the A41, halfway between Bicester and junction nine of the M40, directing people to a park-and-ride – but it’s not there.

Initially the sign was covered up, but somehow its wrapping has come undone and revealed an arrow pointing people to a non-existent park-and-ride on the Kingsmere housing site.

The move prompted Oxfordshire County Council to issue an apology over the sign because no decision has actually been made about whether a park-and-ride will be built in Bicester.

Land at the new housing estate has been set aside for a park-and-ride and outline planning permission was granted several years ago. But the county council will only say it is “still investigating the proposal”.

Town and district councillor Les Sibley said: “Seems like someone has jumped the gun.

“What’s the point of putting a sign up when there’s nowhere to park and the park-and-ride facility has not been approved?”

Council spokesman Owen Morton said: “The developer for South West Bicester has set aside land for potential future use as a park-and-ride site.

“As part of the agreement for the recently-constructed roundabout which would serve the site, the developer has put up all the associated signage including a sign for a future park-and-ride.

“This was obviously meant to remain fully covered for the time being, and we are sorry for the confusion caused.

“We also recognise this may have given the impression that plans are further advanced than they are at this stage, for which we would also like to apologise.”