Widnes: I'm a moutain biker, so would like to know how I would be able to get my bike into the hills (which already have limited access for bikers). Also experienced the joys of public transport last year. Left the car in Betws-y-coed and got the bus to climb Crib Goch, when we finished there were no buses and no taxis would come out. Fortunately, managed to get a lift back form somebody in the hotel. If park & ride is introduced, would just start going to the Peaks & Lake Districts more.

Sheffield: The proposal to ban parking in Snowdonia is outrageous and attacks an individuals human rights. It will have a huge effect on the prosperity of the local community. Should it be passed, I hope it proves unenforceable I for one would not adhere to any such rules.

Bethesda: crazy idea. Sounds like a scam for the council and the bus companies. Of course visitors will go elsewhere. As a local who uses the hills for my own enjoyment I do not think that it will be as enjoyable if I have to park miles from where I want to be and then catch an unreliable bus to where I want to go.

Sheffield: I totally agree with the balanced arguments you have presented, and pretty much said exactly the same thing in a response to the consultation exercise.

Whitchurch-On-Thames, Berks: The proposal for the Park and ride scheme seems ill conceived and not what is needed for the area.

Lancaster: While there can be no doubt the car IS a scourge of the modern age, I've seen little evidence of traffic congestion in the National Parks, and think this type of measure is better suited to the centres of our cities

Birmingham: Go to Switzerland and see how they manage rural environmental - economic issues in mountain areas, before coming up with public transport on the cheap.

Goodwick, Pembrokeshire: I have concerns about how the buses could accommodate canoeists, dogs, rucksacks & bikes etc. A sustainable future for Snowdonia and the rest of rural Wales is a priority which needs careful thought and planning, these proposals are short sighted, will kill much of the local economy and drive visitors elsewhere.

Small Heath, Birmingham: Short-term parking has to be allowed and easy. long-term (over 1 hour) can be discouraged by charging. disincentives to tourism kill the local community.

Erdington, Birmingham: A major reason for visiting an area like Snowdonia is to break the mould that exists during the rest of the week/year. To work to your own timetable, your own game plan. To feel a sense of freedom, a sense of space. I particularly enjoy being high up as the sun rises or as the sun sets. Would a timetable driven public transport service afford me these pleasures ? I think not !!

Capel Curig: We have lived & worked here since 1987. We started our own small business in 1990 which is mainly dependent upon the leisure industry. If the visitors do not come then we shall be on the dole!

Pont Cyfyng, Capel Curig: Having lived and worked in and around the national park for 32 years I realise the impact of the 'Park and Rise' scheme on the area, and its effect on the economy and the people. Also taking away the stopping and parking places within the park area is an infringement of Human Rights, and will, in particular, affect the elderly and disabled from enjoying the scenery from their cars.

Christchurch, Dorset: It is clear to me that this scheme is both ill conceived and wholly inappropriate for an area such as Snowdonia. The needs of the public for enjoy this area are varied. This scheme would only be useable by a limited number of individuals whilst the rest would suffer. For example, I wonder how convenient it would be for a group of boulderers to take their mats on a crowded bus simply for the purpose of a hour long bouldering session?

Nantwich: visitors must be free to use the countryside at a time when it suits them otherwise they will go elsewhere. Park and ride is not really suitable for hill walking.

Nebo, Caernarfon: I'm very concerned about the proposals. Living just outside the National park itself, we frequently have members of family (some elderly) and friends visiting. Quite often we will go for a "trundle" around the park and stop for a short walk or to take photos. I don't see how Park & Ride will help with any of that? It's really useful to be able to visit a number of quality walking shops in a short space of time in order to compare what's available. Often one of the reasons people come and stay with us is if they want some outdoor gear. The proposals would seem to make this kind of thing more difficult meaning that the visitors will but the (usually expensive) equipment nearer

Sheffield: Just to give you my support. I agree with everything you state on your website, and also feel that the Green key proposals would adversely affect peoples access to the area, and subsequently local businesses.

Connah's Key, Flintshire: This scheme is an outrage! At a time when the government is trying to open up access to wild places the " green key" will do just the opposite. Totally unrealistic and utterly overpriced for people who love the " Freedom of the Hills"

Bangor: Having read the consultation document, I agree that it is poorly thought through, and unrealistic. I have sent a response to Gwenllian Owens indicating this.

Crewe: I agree with all the views you put forward on the website but here are some other thoughts from the point of view of a hill walker. Safety of walkers: What happens if they are late down from the hills either in the Summer due to taking advantage of good weather or in the Winter due to bad conditions. Surely they could be left stranded if there are no late buses? An indication of walkers in trouble is a lone car left in a lay-by. This indication will no longer be there. Most walkers leave a change of clothes in their car. They would now have to wait until they got off the bus before getting warm and dry. An increased chance of hypothermia? Surely mountain rescue/ambulance services will be called out for more minor injuries than they already are, as people will have no quick route to get themselves to hospital? Will the buses have the space for all the rucksacks etc? Not all walkers start from the main areas e.g. Pen y Pas or Ogwen. A lot start from remote B or unclassified roads and would require a days walk from the bus to get there. This could mean a migration to the already popular areas causing erosion and congestion on the hills. A lot of walkers take their dogs with them - will they be allowed on the buses? Imagine an overcrowded bus with half a dozen dogs on it? Walkers will have less time to spend in the local shops as they will have had to hang around waiting for the bus and probably not get back before the shops shut. Some of the above also apply to canoeists and mountain bikers Are mountain bikers expected to cycle in from the Gateway towns or will the buses have room for the bikes? What about canoeists? How are they supposed to get their boats the the top of the rivers/lakes? Or will these super buses take the canoes as well? It certainly sounds like an idea thought out by somebody stuck behind a desk and has no idea of all the different types of activities that people use Snowdonia for.

Oswestry: Increased use of public transport is in principle a good thing, but the present proposals have many shortcomings. The effect on the economy of villages within the national park, e.g. Capel Curig, will be disastrous as the bus drives people straight through. There are safety implications, with cold wet climber/walkers waiting around for buses, or hurrying off the hill if they fear they might miss one. Using the bus would certainly deter me from visiting the park, and if i did visit i would be less likely to stop en route at the pub or shops. I am a regular visitor to Snowdonia.

Great Barr, Birmingham: Outdoor activities are all about freedom to enjoy the countryside as and when it suits us, different sports and pursuits cannot all be channelled to leave at the same times. I personally think it is a completely stupid idea!

Chester: We should all have the right to come and go as we please. The Snowdonia National Park is a place of freedom. Its both a Fantastic and beautiful Place lets not restrict the movement around the park, and have laid down bus timings for people to adhere to, where's the freedom in that.

Bournmouth: As a mountain biker, i would usually drive, with friends and their bikes to a start point, in one car. I would therefore be against restriction of access by car to the national park.

Wolverhampton: They want us off the hill, don't they. This could be the news that the Cumbrian tourist industry was waiting for.

Crouch Hill, London: The impact of this scheme on walkers and climbers could potentially be dangerous. Leaving a vehicle in a gateway town could cause problems if there was a late descent from the mountains or if a group was forced to descend where there was no bus service. The dangers would be increased in winter. It could also mean increased risk taking if a group felt forced to carry on with their original plan (if based around bus pick up locations) rather than beat a sensible retreat. Walkers and climbers are also important in the local economy, particularly as many are regular visitors over many years. I have been visiting Wales regularly for nearly 10 years with various friends and clubs. If the green key scheme was implemented, I will be much more reluctant to visit the area and will be much more likely to go to other areas such as the Lake District and Yorkshire, rather than have the inconvenience and possible risk of visiting Wales.

Capel Bangor, Aberystwyth: Copy of letter in response follows I cannot agree to the restriction of access to parts of the National Park in the way you propose. Nor am I happy about your attempt to turn hill walkers and other mountain “users” into “consumers” by forcing them to spend time in shops while waiting for buses.

Cardiff: This is a crazy idea that will lead to people going to other area and also leaving people stranded when they miss the bus!

Bath: If there is a compulsory Park and Ride Scheme, I will go elsewhere. I spend about 10 - 15 days a year there and several hundred pounds. I would probably go to the Peak district and the Brecons instead.

Sheffield: I climb & walk in Snowdonia at least 6 times a year from my girlfriend's house in Cheshire. I have not seen a mountain bus timetable yet that I regard as remotely convenient or frequent enough not to cause significant disruption to a mountain day If car access is made worse to areas I wish to go climbing or walking I will simply chose to go somewhere else. This will probably be a longer car journey (more pollution. My quality of life will also suffer. The proposal is draconian and unnecessary

Cardiff: I am 100% behind the campaign to STOP the park and ride scheme from going ahead. People love there freedom to to go and stop wherever they please they thrive on the fact that they are able to do this in the Snowdonia area without paying for the pleasure. A pleasure which many enjoy in there on time with no restrictions. Who on earth would want to time there day to the amount of parking time or which bus they must catch. Who on earth would want to stand in the rain waiting for a bus to go home. Who on earth would pay the amount asked when they could go somewhere else for free. Who would want to get a large group of people on a bus or three!! The scheme also proposes the closure of many shops, hotels, B&b , cafes and many more, this leading to the loss of work for the local people. How on earth does this help! The plan for the park & Ride Scheme should be abolished!

Sheffield: The environmental impact of preventing private vehicles into the park would be minimal. There is no evidence to support this. the local economy will be ruined over night. Outdoor folk: boulderers, climbers, walkers etc.. take these form of leisure because of the lack of rules and regulations. They on the whole have disposable income, and will take it out of Wales. the service will have to be 24 hours 365days a year...I regularly boulder at dawn in the summer, winter climbers are on the hill at 4a.m. Who will gain? The hill? I doubt erosion will improve. The outdoor enthusiasts? no. The economy, no. A few million of the governments cash spent on trying to validate this proposal? With the bureaucrats being employed even more, Yes. This is a thin edge of a dangerous wedge. In order not to seem knee jerk negative why not consider the other ideas around, a access fee is probably reasonable - as long as the cash goes back into the park. Season tickets will have to be fairly priced. Lets face it some of us are part of the attraction to the day tourists! Thanks for letting me have my say. 

Swansea: This policy would have a deleterious effect on everyone in the climbing community. Not to mention the local tourist trade, already hit by the foot and mouth crisis. It just shows a complete lack of understanding of the needs of the people who use the mountains. Can you imagine getting caught out in bad weather and ending up missing the last bus. Or how about if there was an accident, very often precious time can be saved if the casualty is transported by car rather than waiting for an ambulance. If they want to do something about the congestion why not put on a free bus a number of times a day and thus give the public a realistic choice.

Reading: Speaking from my own experience, there are times when the Snowdonia park is very busy and times when it is largely empty. I strongly object to restriction of access to the park outside the main summer season and during the late evenings and early mornings. Park and Ride schemes only work when lots of people want to use them, and at the times I mention above it will not be cost effective to provide an adequate service for the needs of people who would like/need to use the park.

Ealing, London: I don't make it to north Wales from London very often, but I object in the strongest possible way to this scheme.

Stalybridge, Cheshire: This scheme would virtually stop me coming to Snowdonia. As a keen walker and climber I make 10 trips or so a year. I often travel very early in the morning, complete a route by mid afternoon, and use the local shops and cafes towards the end of the afternoon. This would become unworkable under the new scheme.

Cambridge: I think this proposal fails on a number of premises: The philosophy of many walkers is based on self reliance and freedom, therefore part of the point in going walking is to avoid being herded around in groups. Practically the economics of the park and ride are very suspect, if the frequency is sufficient to support walkers and the operating times long enough then the majority of buses will run at very low occupation. This can be seen from existing shoppers park and rides where the 4 morning commute buses and the 5.30 to 6.00 Saturday afternoon buses are packed, causing considerable complaint while the other 50 hours of operation during the week the buses run almost empty. As a solo walker I like to start anytime from 5.00 am - to experience the joys of sunrise on the tops and finish mostly before closing time, I cannot see how this can be accommodated by an economic park and ride. In addition I often descend the hills wet, muddy etc. The objective of this, to increase revenue into the area, seems doomed to fail. Walkers such as myself who have the choice of Snowdonia, The Peaks and the Lake District will merely go to those where we have the greatest freedom. Without the walking and climbing community the outdoor retailers won't survive. This will lead to empty towns which will only come alive on the very few peak tripper days bank holidays, sunny Sundays etc. The net effect on the local economy will be negative. Finally, I've no objection to paying for my enjoyment but believe it should be done by offering services not by prohibition. I'm happy to make a modest contribution to parking, I make contributions to the National Trust and I've round local and specialist buses ideal for planning linear rather than circular walks. I would urge the local authorities to reconsider and start from the premise that the way to increase revenue is to please not to annoy customers, particularly when, like me, they have other options for enjoying their pastime.

Sawbridgenorth, Herts: North London Mountaineering club owns two properties at 'Bryn y Brithnau'. One property is used by club members, the other is used by schools, university groups and youth groups. These organisations come mainly by minibus, need flexible travel arrangements and will go elsewhere if they are tied to park and ride. The local business community depends on passing trade as is well known. 

Llanbedrog, Pwllheli: As a 78 yr old, no longer able to walk/climb the mountains I still enjoy the freedom to stop, look, sketch and paint. Perhaps take photographs.

Beaumaris: This "scheme" is designed to fund jobs, jobs for highly paid, self-serving administrators and managers, and Gwynedd County Council's hyperactive highways department will probably do well out of it as well. I would love to know how many of the perpetrators of this scam have spent time in the mountains of Snowdonia? It can't be many, for how could they have ever anticipated the enormous strength of opposition. Maybe they DID anticipate, that's why they tried to sneak it in through the back door? All we want is the Freedom to Choose.

Manchester: I grew up in North Wales, and I come back to Snowdonia to walk and enjoy the freedom of it - usually on a bicycle, or courtesy of our nightmare train system, and sometimes in a car with friends and a lot of gear. The keyword here is freedom - this scheme is step one to turning Snowdonia into a controlled commercial environment - ie a theme park. Whose interests are these proposals being made to serve, exactly? It's either naive and not thought through (incompetency theory), or part of a wider commerical agenda (conspiracy theory). Tangentially, the game parks in East Africa were created by clearing the local villages and dumping people outside the gates. Entrance is controlled by fees well out of reach of most of the people who live there. This scheme will keep people like me away - there's plenty of other places to escape to from Manchester - but then I grew up here, I like to come here - and I (perhaps naively) think I have a right to be able to wander the hills safely, and in my own time.

East Twickenham, Middlesex: I fully support your stance. As you say, a compulsory park and ride scheme in Snowdonia is both ill conceived and unworkable because most mountaineers, hill walkers etc wish to be at their start point early in the day and will return at unpredictable times. What happens if the return is late in the evening? Will a service still be running? It is an obvious fact that there could never be enough buses.

Rugby: With a young family needing to go on short walks and have picnics in our own time, the proposed scheme would make the area not a feasible option. This would be a great shame as we are trying to bring up our children to appreciate our natural heritage.

Morpeth, Northumberland: 'Having been a regular visitor to the area for over forty years, I read with interest the Snowdonia Green Key Strategy Statement and would like to take the opportunity to comment upon it. Any effort to identify ways of improving the underlying economic well-being of Snowdonia and to increase its appeal to the visitor must be applauded However, I find much in the Snowdonia Green Key Initiative which causes concern. The significant asset of the Snowdonia National Park is its unique landscape. The majority of individuals who return to national parks come to exercise their individuality. The appeal of mountain and moorland is different for each person. Surely the ethos of a national park is to encourage appreciation of its singular qualities and to allow participation in the opportunities it provides for exercise and personal expression. The proposals demand that my approach must be made from outside the park, using a Gateway settlement for parking and timetabled buses for transport. I read the proposals as a means to define me as an economic unit, to be processed by a system and to be exploited in a way that dictates what I can do, from where I can begin that experience, and by what time I must complete it and return. The overall effect will be to trivialise the experience for the visitor, turning Snowdonia into a commercial theme park. Far from attracting more visitors, the proposals will exclude many existing visitors, particularly those who return regularly to pursue their passion in all weathers and seasons. Much is made of the impact of the private motor car upon the national park in your strategy statement. The failure of the park authority over a significant period of time to address the issues associated with the use of the car by visitors to Snowdonia has exacerbated the problem. It is the private motor car that brings the vast majority of visitors to the area. Access must be improved, and safe provision can be made to accommodate this demand. Roadside provision on durable plastic grid ground support, screened by native tree and shrub planting would go a long way to alleviate the problem. For the significant proportion of the year there is no serious problem of overcrowding on the roads within the national park. What is a problem is the mix, on trunk roads, of through traffic and visitor vehicles endeavouring to cope with inadequate car parking facilities. Snowdonia requires a reappraisal of how it might exploit its opportunities. The casual visitor will be of significance within the target group but the significance of the mountain activity, walking and climbing fraternity must not be under-estimated. Developments must include an integrated local transport system, sympathetic management of access by the private motorist and imaginative investment in regeneration. There is a need for new low level footpaths, the repair of existing paths, and a network of cycle paths. There is a significant history to be told about the area and a visitor centre to present this and to interpret the landscape would be a welcome initiative. Actively encouraging tourism within Snowdonia would provide genuine additional demand and increase local business and employment opportunity – a worthwhile objective. But I cannot agree that the Snowdonia Green Key Strategy proposals offer ‘a high quality experience to the visitor’. I fear that, if implemented, they would be prescriptive, and drive many of your visitors away.'

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