CHARGING drivers to park at park-and-ride car parks in Oxford should be dropped, according to a leading county councillor.

Liberal Democrat city and county councillor Jean Fooks said the policy of charging drivers for parking as well as paying for a bus ticket was acting as a deterrent.

She called for the city and councils, who both operate park-and-rides, to conduct a review of the system, including the policy of ‘double-charging’.

Managers of the Oxford Bus Company, which runs park-and-ride buses, said charging for parking was encouraging more people to drive into the city centre.

Company spokesman Andy Morison said: “While we appreciate the city and county councils’ need to balance their respective budgets, charging for parking makes park-and-ride less attractive as the combined cost of parking and the bus fare is only beneficial if you are staying in Oxford for more than a couple of hours.

“This consequence of this is that more people drive into the city centre, which leads to congestion.

“We are working with the county council to improve the current situation and make the process less arduous for users of park-and-ride.”

Ms Fooks, county councillor for Wolvercote and Summertown, said a review should take place now as the new £440m Westgate Centre, due to open in October 2017, could add to congestion.

She said: “People have to pay for parking and then pay again for a bus ticket and I’m sure it deters some people from using the park-and-rides - that should be dropped.

“The new Westgate Centre is less than a year away so we need to do everything we can to encourage people to use the park-and-rides.”

In park-and-rides in some cities like Bath and York drivers can park for free and only have to pay their bus fare.

The city council runs Seacourt, Redbridge and Pear Tree park-and-rides while the county council runs Water Eaton and Thornhill.

A 658-space extension is planned at Seacourt while the county is proposing a network of new park-and-rides outside the ring road.

A £2 parking charge was introduced at city council park-and-rides in 2011 and £2 for 11 hours at Thornhill and Water Eaton in 2013.

Graham Jones, of Oxford traders’ group ROX, said: “The councils need to liaise on this.

“I think the councils will wait to see if Westgate shoppers are prepared to pay to use the park-and-rides.”

Cabinet member for transport David Nimmo-Smith said: “Officers are currently reviewing everything we charge for - they do that as a matter of course.”

At Seacourt, the average yearly usage of spaces rose from 79 per cent in 2013/ 14 to full capacity by November last year.

The usage at Redbridge went up from 56 per cent to 81 per cent in the same period, with Pear Tree going up from 75 per cent to 81 per cent.