Parkway Railway Stations: a history of Britain's Park and Ride stations

摘要

Bristol Parkway station opened on 1 May 1972, the first of many stations that have been opened, reopened or renamed primarily to provide interchange with road transport. Access to the road network and provision of car parks were key features from the start; efforts to improve connections with local bus services followed. Nearly fifty years on, this book explains the Parkway concept and assesses its success, including descriptions of the stations it has spawned, all of which have been visited and photographed by the author. Short chapters describe the origin of the 'Parkway' name, the nature of the stations, how they were financed, their relationship to the railway and road networks, sources of traffic and the facilities provided. An illustrated gazetteer of all 22 Parkway stations currently in existence includes summary data followed by a brief history, an overview and future development plans, but there is some unnecessary repetition. The book finishes with notes on Parkway stations that no longer carry that name, proposals that did not reach fruition, possible future stations and a gallery of additional photos. People and organisations are acknowledged for information provided, but there are no references. The format makes an index unnecessary. The location of Parkway stations on both the road and railway networks is a key to their genesis and success, yet there are no maps to show this. It is to be hoped that this omission can be rectified in any future edition of an attractive little book printed in a commendably clear typeface.