🚌 Park & Ride in Leicester: Convenience or Confusion?
1 September 2025 – First-hand observations from LATA members
Early on Monday morning, LATA members visited two of Leicester’s Park & Ride (P&R) sites — Birstall and Enderby — to better understand how well they’re working and what passengers think.
What they found was eye-opening.
❌ Birstall: A car park in search of a purpose?
One LATA member arrived at Birstall Park & Ride just after 7:30am and stayed until mid-morning. Most of the site sat almost empty. The northern section — once a Covid testing area — remains fenced off and unused, reportedly to avoid higher business rates.
Passengers shared mixed feelings:
- About half said they were thinking of stopping using the service.
- Return journeys now take longer, detouring via St Nicholas Circle.
- Some commuters said there’s little difference in cost between driving and using the P&R.
“It’s just easier to drive now,” one passenger said.
“I’m not tied to Birstall — I can just head straight home.”
Bus drivers confirmed that NHS staff usage has dropped sharply, which used to be a major source of ridership.
University passengers were more positive — the new route works better for their destination — but overall, usage was well below capacity.
🚏 Enderby: A car park more than a transport hub?
Later that morning, LATA members visited Enderby P&R and raised similar concerns.
- It’s located further from the city than junction 21, and on a radial route that should already be well-served by buses.
- There’s little to stop people from simply parking for free without ever using the bus.
- Some reports suggest spaces are sold to local businesses, but it’s unclear how this is managed or enforced.
“Enderby feels more like a free car park than a transport hub,” one LATA member noted.
🚶♀️🚲 What about walking or cycling to these sites?
Almost no signs of it.
Leicester Lane near Enderby has narrow, unsafe pavements, and there’s little to encourage people to access the P&R by foot or bike. The car-first design makes active travel feel like an afterthought — or an impossibility.
As one member put it:
“There’s too much embedded car culture here and poor infrastructure for walking or wheeling. Even those who live nearby don’t feel safe.”
🟢 What could better look like?
Members reflected on what should be possible:
- Integrated ticketing — like London’s £1.75 one-hour fare valid across buses
- Real-time monitoring of P&R usage to assess performance
- Safer walking and cycling access for nearby residents
- Better siting of P&R facilities to align with actual traffic patterns
- Improved frequency and reliability on connecting routes
🚧 What’s your view?
Have you used Leicester’s Park & Ride recently — or stopped using it?
What would make it work better for you?
📬 Share your thoughts using our Contact form →
We’d love to hear from you — especially if you live near a Park & Ride or use one regularly.