Car insurance: Park and ride

They allow
motorists to leave their car in specially designated parking facilities which
are situated adjacent to a public transport facility. Commuters can then continue on their journey
using the appropriate public transport service.

Basically, the
service allows people to drive their cars to the parking lots and leave their
car behind whilst they travel onwards to their destination, usually situated
within an urban area. Commuters then
return by public transport on the same day.
Park
and ride services are not designed for overnight or long term parking.

The advantages of park
and ride

By providing
parking spaces on the urban edge, park and ride services they help
to keep down congestion levels on busy roads within town centres. This also helps to keep pollution to a
minimum in populated areas.

Drivers can
avoid the expense of using a parking bay within the urban area, as well as the
stress involved in trying to locate such a parking space.

An increase
in popularity of the service has resulted in a wider coverage, thus boosting
the convenience on offer.

The disadvantages

Although
popular amongst commuters, there is resistance to the growing spread of the
service from certain quarters. Some
believe that the park and ride service has a negative effect on traffic
patterns in rural areas.

Paul Hamblin,
Head of Transport for the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), explained,
Increasingly large areas of countryside are being buried under tarmac in the
name of sustainable transport. But in reality, almost every trip relies on
using the car at one or both ends. These schemes do not reduce our dependency
on the car.

CPRE want to
see better public transport that reaches peoples doors, not more park and ride
schemes. Find out more at www.cpre.org.uk.

The park and ride
database

Most park and
ride services can be found by using the National Park and Ride Directory
database.

Commuters can
enter the details of their area to locate their nearest and most convenient
park and ride services. The database
includes information about public transport links, car park facilities such as
costs and security, as well as offering maps and sat-nav co-ordinates.

Before you use a park
and ride

Motorists
should ensure that they have adequate car
insurance before using a park and ride service. If the car does not have insurance its
possible to get a car insurance quote
quickly by phoning an insurance broker or by requesting auto insurance quote online.

The insurance
policy will offer guidelines that need to be followed, but its best to check
that the park and ride facilities offer surveillance and security before making
use of them.

ArticleSource: ArticlesAlley.com