Park and ride services could be subsidised by Chelmsford City Council in order to keep buses running on Saturdays.

The city council has already said it opposes the plans by Essex County Council to close Saturday park and ride services from one of two sites in the city.

The council says it would send out “exactly the wrong signal” towards a sustainable transport system.

As part of a public consultation launched by Essex County Council over the future of park and ride service in Chelmsford, the county council has proposed to raise the age of child tickets to 18 and to offer a discount when tickets are purchased digitally through an app.

But as well as a reduced adult fare on Saturdays from Sandon, it is also proposing the closure of Chelmer Valley Park and Ride on Saturdays.

But the leader of Chelmsford City Council, Roy Whitehead, has now offered to subsidise park and ride in Chelmsford for the next 12 months to ensure Saturday services continue from the Chelmer Valley site, irrespective of the outcome of the consultation.

He told the full council meeting yesterday (February 27): “It is fair to say the air quality question has cropped up.

“We see that as sending the wrong signal when we are trying to improve air quality throughout Chelmsford.

“I have offered to subsidise park and ride for the next 12 months and Kevin Bentley, the highways cabinet member at Essex County Council, and I will further discuss it.”

Chelmsford City Council supports proposals to raise ticket prices with inflation, the child ticket age from 16 to 18, a discounted ticket offer when paying through an app and even the plans to remove ticket machines altogether from the two sites.

However it does not support the proposed Saturday closure of the Chelmer Valley site in Essex Regiment Way, which it says could increase the pressure on local roads and decrease the attractiveness of the city centre to visitors and shoppers on a Saturday.

Chelmsford City Council has said Chelmsford’s park and rides are a key component of Chelmsford’s public transport system and by intercepting cars on the edge of the town, they help to improve accessibility and reduce traffic congestion and pollution in the city centre.

They also contribute towards the ethos of the new Local Plan “to maximise opportunities for sustainable transport”.

The council says there is still a relatively good patronage on Saturdays and that is expected to increase in the future with planned new growth in and around Chelmsford and beyond within Braintree, Brentwood and Maldon districts.

Cllr Whitehead said the city council was also looking to acquire land to the west of the city for a third park and ride bus station.

“But we are not the operating authority. It’s the county council and so they are the people who will provide the land in most cases,” he added.

“But to be fair Sandon, our first park and ride, was acquired by this council.

“A far sighted chief executive bought various pockets of land. But since the city has grown land has become more expensive.

“So finding a suitable site is difficult and we are still keen because the army and navy consultation is looking at solutions and part of that this council believes is anther park and ride at Widford.

“We have money set aside to make land purchases. But finding a right site is very difficult.”

A decision on the consultation, which will run until March 22, is expected to be made in summer 2019.