On site wind turbine scheme jettisoned
Councillor Leven has now given a absolute commitment that all works connected with the Poppleton Bar park and ride site – plus associated works on the A1237 and the A59 will be completed by 31st July.
In an answer published to a question tabled at the last Council meeting he says,the contractors are scheduled to leave site by the end of the month.
The premature opening of the Poppleton Bar site has also been under fire although the numbers using the service are claimed to be similar to the figures at other Park and Ride sites immediately after their introduction.
| Month 1 trip numbers | Month 13 trip numbers | Month 25 trip numbers | |
| Grimston Bar (1994): | 3,889 | 14,525 | 21,891 |
| Designer Outlet (2000): | 9,606 | 18,495 | 21,524 |
| Monks Cross (2004) | 13,550 | 35,429 | 43,797 |
| Poppleton Bar (2014) | 9,148 (8/6/14 – 1/7/14) |
From opening, the number of cars parked at the new Poppleton Park & Ride site is between 70 – 100.
On a Saturday this increases to 200.
With many of the electric buses running empty, the Council has been criticised for unnecessarily increasing CO2 emissions.
In response to a written question the responsible cabinet member has revealed that the provision of an on site wind turbine was aborted at the last minute. He claimed,
“the electric buses charge overnight at the First Depot in York. The electricity grid is off-peak at this time and of lower carbon intensity. There was a wind turbine in the design for Poppleton Bar however the supplier went out of business a month before installation. Officers are currently exploring alternative suppliers of renewable generation equipment for Poppleton Bar which could supply sufficient power for the on-site Rapid chargers which boost the range of the electric buses”.
Labour Councillors have claimed that the decision to open the Poppleton Park and Ride site was taken by “officers” implying that they had no influence over the blunder.
Despite this 3 Labour Councillors were featured in a media photograph which covered the sites official opening.