Councillor says parking numbers show Park and Ride should be built at Birkenhead North Station

Jul 1 2009 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

THE Birkenhead North Station riddle is, indeed, riddled with holes – more so than Gorgonzola cheese.

For instance, why is Merseytravel going ahead with plans for a Park and Ride outside Bidston Station (Wirral News, June 24) when all the indications (from the commuters and the local community) are that it is Birkenhead North which should have had priority.

On three random days at noon, I did a count of cars parked outside of both stations – Bidston Station had 18, 17 and 15.

Birkenhead North Station had 90, 103 and 84, and many of them were parked outside local residents’ houses (the latter have, for years, been plagued with commuter vehicles).

Have Merseytravel monitored this? Clearly the commuters are voting with their feet – Birkenhead North offers greater access to other stations and it is cheaper to access Liverpool (£65 per year).

I can recall Wirral housing officers telling me, and local residents, that if we agreed with the demolition of housing near to Birkenhead North then the land would be an ideal site for a P&R – at no time were we told that the land could only be used for new housing.

COUNCILLOR HARRY SMITH

Bidston & St James ward