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| Southampton's Weekend-only Park and Ride bus |
Andrew Pope says:
"What was good about Christie Lambert's very late answer was that she said that she was committed to a Park and Ride.
But obviously she was not committed enough to the Park and Ride to stay in the Cabinet Member role to get the Park and Ride right before her departure.
She is still a councillor and Deputy Leader, so I expect her to ensure that I get answers to my questions now from her or her replacement, after nearly three months of patience.
Other councillors know, and residents know, that I am an annoyingly persistent and experienced campaigner.
I would not have won this 12-year campaign for Southampton, and visitors to our City, otherwise!"
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| Andrew speaking to BBC South Today |
Winning the Park and Ride Campaign
Our co-founder Andrew Pope initiated his campaign for a Southampton Park and Ride over 12 years ago, when he led a Council inquiry into hospital transport.
He kept up the pressure by calling in the bus companies and held hospital senior management to account to their "strategy" documents, including successive chief executives, over those years.
The hospital management kept their promise of a staff Park and Ride.
Andrew kept up the pressure for a public Park and Ride, because residents kept complaining about City centre congestion, including when Saints FC were at home.
And hospital parking, including staff parking on a wide area across Southampton near the hospital, both continued to be a problem.
Yet the Council continued to not deliver this public Park and Ride.
Then, when Andrew attended a Council Planning meeting, he continued the pressure by asking "Where is the Park and Ride?" to Labour councillors.
He had also called for the Labour Cabinet Member for Transport, Eamonn Keogh, to be sacked, in a letter to the Daily Echo. Keogh was sacked and replaced by Councillor Christie Lambert.
As if by magic, the public Park and Ride happened shortly after.
Making Improvements
But the weekend Park and Ride, in Andrew's opinion, the Park and Ride that the Council, Bluestar and hospital had delivered was not good enough.
So he went and checked. And checked again.
Then he wrote into the Daily Echo, who published his letter, pointing out the shortfalls.
He wrote to the new Cabinet Member Christie Lambert with some questions, and a copy of the letter.
And he wrote to Bluestar, and the hospital Chief Executive, giving them a right of reply.
No Response from the Cabinet Member
Bluestar responded and said that "obviously" the Park and Ride was a "trial". This was never communicated to the public in the Council press release.
The hospital Chief Executive did not respond, which sadly was the level of response of previous chief executives at the first attempt on a range of issues that Andrew raised with them.
And the Labour Cabinet Member for Transport did not respond.
For two months.
And then, days before Christmas 2025, she finally answered and apologised for the delayed response.
Then it was reported in local media that she had quit from the role of Cabinet Member.
So she has been given the opportunity to answer again, including of whether this was a "trial".