Dore and Totley "Park & Ride"

[anti-pacer]

I cannot believe this station is promoted as a "Park & Ride" station.

South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) will open a new 130-space Park and Ride facility next to Dore and Totley Rail station in Sheffield on Monday 22 April 2013.

The facility features a covered cycle shelter for 20 cycles next to the platform entrance and there is specific parking for blue badge holders. A new vehicle entrance to the car park has been built away from the residential Ladies Spring Grove allowing a dedicated pedestrian and cycle entrance to be created close to the platform entrance. A lay-by is also provided close to the station platform to allow for dropping-off and picking up of passengers, station deliveries and rail replacement services. To improve personal safety and security at the station lighting and CCTV has been provided throughout the site.

A pedestrian crossing proposed on Abbeydale Road, improving bus passenger and pedestrian access to the railway station, is planned to be installed by developers Amey as part of their Streets Ahead Sheffield maintenance works between May and July 2013.

The Park and Ride has been built with funding secured from the Network Rail’s Station Commercial Project Facility and the South Yorkshire Local Transport Plan.

Dore has suffered problems for some time with vehicles parking on streets around the railway station causing obstructions to moving traffic. It is hoped the new facility will help ease these problems and open up travel options for those travelling from Dore, Totley, and Millhouses.

David Young, SYPTE Director of Customer Experience, said: “This new facility will be a tremendous asset to the area around Dore, where people have been calling for some time for more parking spaces to make rail travel more attractive and help ease the local parking problems.



“The location is ideal for a park and ride, being right next to the station. It will not only be of great benefit to the locality of Dore, Totley and Millhouses but also to commuters from the Sheffield City Region in neighbouring Derbyshire. It is another example of what SYPTE does for the region, which is to identify the transport priorities which are needed and to secure the funding to deliver great new facilities such as this.”

If you didn't know the area you could be forgiven for thinking it is served by frequent trains into Sheffield city centre. Imagine your disappointment when you find out it's an hourly (at best) Pacer.

 

[yorkie]

It's not hourly "at best"; in the morning peak there are trains at:

• 0749
• 0804
• 0827
• 0858

So it is quarter-hourly at best! But only hourly for most of the day, which isn't really acceptable for a "Park & Ride".

 

[anti-pacer]

It's not hourly "at best"; in the morning peak there are trains at:

• 0749
• 0804
• 0827
• 0858

So it is quarter-hourly at best! But only hourly for most of the day, which isn't really acceptable for a "Park & Ride".

OK it has a passable morning peak service but as you agree, it's not really acceptable. I wonder how many people pull into the car park, and after finding out the daytime frequency, pull straight back out again and drive into the city centre.

 

[RichmondCommu]

It's not hourly "at best"; in the morning peak there are trains at:

• 0749
• 0804
• 0827
• 0858

So it is quarter-hourly at best! But only hourly for most of the day, which isn't really acceptable for a "Park & Ride".

However if you are going to use a "Park & Ride" scheme you are more likely to start your journey early in the morning. It's over 25 years since I last caught a train from Dore so I would be interested to know how big the car park is. Such schemes tend to work best when you have a large car park.

 

[anti-pacer]

However if you are going to use a "Park & Ride" scheme you are more likely to start your journey early in the morning. It's over 25 years since I last caught a train from Dore so I would be interested to know how big the car park is. Such schemes tend to work best when you have a large car park,

It looked reasonably large. I would be interested to know the morning peak loading from this station.

 

[yorkie]

However if you are going to use a "Park & Ride" scheme you are more likely to start your journey early in the morning. It's over 25 years since I last caught a train from Dore so I would be interested to know how big the car park is. Such schemes tend to work best when you have a large car park.

130 spaces. I've edited the original post to include a link & quote, to provide context and avoid other people having to search for background information on this.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I wonder how many people pull into the car park, and after finding out the daytime frequency, pull straight back out again and drive into the city centre.

Not very many, as these days it's quite easy to look times up, and there's no guarantee it would get them to the centre of Sheffield any quicker than waiting.

 

[Starmill]

You would be very peeved if you parked there and went for your day in Sheffield, only to realise that the only available return options are:

• 1414
• 1614
• 1714
• 1814
• 1914
• 2035
• 2248

Not even close to 'quarter-hourly' that way.

This could be partially remedied if EMT services at 1740, 1840 and 1940 were to call there. The question is, do they have capacity and can they spare a few extra minutes to call?

IMO there should also be a train to Manchester via Dore and Stockport at around 2125, which there would appear to be space for in the timetable, as a continuation of the current 1926 service from Cleethorpes which terminates at Sheffield. If such a train could be added, it could also call at Dore thereby plugging most of the gaps.

 

[edwin_m]

Like most heavy rail park and ride this is probably targeted at longer-distance journeys rather than those into the city centre. At least one regular contributor here evidently drives there to get the train to Manchester, and when I'm on one of the Norwich trains that calls in the evening peak there are always good numbers alighting there. As suggested above, the direction of evening peak calls is targeted at commuting towards Manchester rather than into Sheffield.

I seem to recall there is also a frequent bus service into Sheffield, though there is no mention of including this in the park and ride arrangement.

 

[323235]

There is definitely a bit of slack in the tinetable for Liverpool bound EMT services but I'd expect those services are already very busy. Perhaps it could get some terminating services Adwick style ?

You would be very peeved if you parked there and went for your day in Sheffield, only to realise that the only available return options are:

• 1414
• 1614
• 1714
• 1814
• 1914
• 2035
• 2248

Not even close to 'quarter-hourly' that way.

This could be partially remedied if EMT services at 1740, 1840 and 1940 were to call there. The question is, do they have capacity and can they spare a few extra minutes to call?

IMO there should also be a train to Manchester via Dore and Stockport at around 2125, which there would appear to be space for in the timetable, as a continuation of the current 1926 service from Cleethorpes which terminates at Sheffield. If such a train could be added, it could also call at Dore thereby plugging most of the gaps.

 

[robbeech]

The car park is not big at all, and is generally full by 8am on the couple of days i've been. Last time i went during the day and luckily someone was pulling out of a space as i went in so i got the last one.

Rob

 

[Haydn1971]

I'd suggest that it's more of a park and ride for Manchester than Sheffield


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Starmill]

I'm surprised that's a priority for SYPTE. Then again, this was three years ago.

 

[johnnychips]

I'm surprised that's a priority for SYPTE. Then again, this was three years ago.

Exactly. There was a very small car park, which is now much bigger. It always surprises me how many passengers from Manchester, on the TPE trains that do stop here, get off.

 

[CommuterPigeon]

Pretty much from the moment this P&R opened it was full, it could do with being bigger but I can't see where they would expand to at the moment. It's cheaper and faster than getting the bus into Sheffield (£2.20 vs £2.40 and 7 minutes vs ~30) so pretty useful if you live within walking distance (I used to use it when it snowed).

I believe part of the new Northern franchise is increasing the frequency to hourly? It's also possible that should the Hope Valley Capacity Scheme happen the 3rd fast path between Sheffield and Manchester could make occasional calls there, depending on which TOC gets it.

 

[Timrud]

It is like Meadowhall, the car park is full for 07:30 - is there a need for increased capacity?