Car park charges at Liskeard

The issue of car parking at the station made the front page of the Cornish Guardian last week and it was clear that the town councillors are unhappy about First Great Western's decision to introduce fees. Local residents who use the train were expressing concern that when the charges are introduced their driveways will be blocked in so even non-car commuters will be affected.

There was a lot of huffing and puffing on the train and not because it's got a steam engine. To be honest, though, there is a great strength of feeling. It makes so much less sense for people to use the train now a lot of people I've spoken to will probably drive, especially if, like me, they have to drive into Liskeard to catch the train.

FGW claimed they were charging in answer to rail user's requests. Nobody knows who these people were. They've probably stopped using the train out of personal safety, if they ever existed.

I wrote to my MP, Colin Breed, and he replied to say that he would be meeting FGW and the council claimed that that when FGW took over the franchise there was a clause in the contract preventing them from introducing charges. Apparently, ₤600,000 of local taxpayer's money was spent on rebuilding the car park and improving the lighting.

This must make those buddleia bushes growing out of the tarmac the most expensive in the land. Seems a lot for the new light bulb, too.

Last week the date for the introduction of charges came and went. The station staff said the toll machines had been delayed but it seemed as if there were greater problems than that afoot.

The Cornish Times on Friday, however, said that the charges will begin from 14th March. The rumoured clause in the contract is "said not to exist" - a strange form of words concerning a legal document but there you are.

Nobody wants to pay it and some of us can't afford it. It'll be interesting to see what effect this has on rail use in and around Liskeard.

Disincentive to use the trains

Although I am a confirmed car and bike nut, I am also an enthusiastic user of public transport. It's so agreeable to look out of the window as you fly over rivers and roll through the rolling countryside. You can talk to your fellow passengers (they are a lively and fascinating lot) or you can have a nap if the day job has been strenuous. Since, embracing rail travel between Liskeard and Plymouth, I have become something of a leisure driver and enjoy being the behind much more. I am there because I want to be, not because I have to be.

Rail ticket prices rose by about 6% at the start of this year but even with petrol at about 85p a litre I still think rail travel is preferable. Punctuality has improved in the seven years I've been using the train and there's less crowding. Fewer trains than seven years ago but still less crowding, which must indicate a migration to the roads.

Last week this insidious little sign appeared on the fence at Liskeard station announcing that a tariff will be imposed for car parking there from 1st February. Subsequent enquiries revealed that the daily charge will be ₤2 although a season ticket may be available for ₤370 a year.

How these charges will be paid is unclear.

How they will be afforded is even less certain.

Many of my fellow passengers are now seriously considering driving into Plymouth. Long stay parking in Liskeard costs ₤1.50 a day but there’s a fair walk down from the town and an even less fair walk back up at the end of the day, especially in the wind and the rain. I don’t think local residents will appreciate us blocking them in at 7.30 in the morning if we try to spread ourselves around the nearest residential areas.

I live some way out of Liskeard in the foothills of Bodmin Moor but, a few years ago, experimented with buses to the station for a week. This added 45 minutes to my journey time if the connections worked. If it didn't - as happened twice on the five days of my experiment - a taxi at ₤9 one way was the only option. So although I tried the buses I can't honestly recommend them.

I have written to my MP, Colin Breed, because I believe the rail companies are imposing ticket price increases by stealth. Rail prices are regulated by the government but I bet parking at stations isn’t. A suit at First Great Western will probably earn a fat bonus this year for exploiting rail travellers but on environmental grounds this doesn’t make sense.