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Wallasey: Snowdonia is fine as it is. It is accessible enough to those who just want to look from the comfort of their cars (and then move
on) and for those who want to explore the more difficult terrains. Don't change
Snowdonia and lock out those who truly love it!
Altrincham, Cheshire: I have been a visitor to & an investor in North Wales for forty or more years. I see no environmental benefits inherent in this
proposal; furthermore I regard it is a gross infringement of our personal freedoms. It is also, in my opinion at odds with the principle of the "right to roam". It may bring extra business to the "gateway towns" but will
destroy their character.
Yoxall, Burton on Trent: I visit Snowdonia at least once every six
weeks, as I am lucky enough to have access to a beautiful cottage in Beddgelert. I believe that the Park& Ride scheme would be disastrous for the
area, already reeling from last years Foot and Mouth epidemic and the increase in travel abroad from potential visitors from Great Britain. I would certainly be in favour of paying to use the roads in Snowdonia through some form of toll for
visitors, and also I would be in favour of paying a fee to gain access to Snowdonia's mountains and moorland. I believe that access to these areas of outstanding beauty should not be
restricted, but visitors be encouraged to donate a minimum fee to use footpaths
etc. etc, within the boundaries of the National Park. We are, after all,
asked to make a donation when we visit a Cathedral, so why not an area as beautiful as the Snowdonia National Park.
Rossett Green, Harrogate: Most walkers and climbers who visit this beautiful area are careful of the
environment. The proposed scheme seems designed to keep people away from the area and deprive local businesses of their custom. If it is not possible to drive to the start of your planned walk most people will stay away or find other places to visit. Perhaps this is the idea. If we are really not wanted we will have to find other locations for walking. Park and rides are more suited for large cities not countryside.
Banbury, Oxon: This scheme is utter madness and will totally devastate tourism, climbing and mountaineering in Snowdonia. I am absolutely opposed to it and your comments about over-crowding of Snowdonia are spot-on. This scheme must be revealed as the total folly which it evidently is. Yet more meddling from councils who know nothing about the countryside, and who are intent upon wasting public money on ridiculous schemes. Please tell us what we can do to defeat this idiotic scheme.
- a regular visitor to Snowdonia and contributor to its local economy.
Colchester: As a climber who has been coming on weekend trips to Snowdonia for many years I fail to see how this scheme would work or why it is needed. Despite being a member of two climbing clubs I know very little about what is proposed and I have not been asked to give an opinion on the scheme. I am worried that busses will not run to the places I want to go at times that are useful to me, and so I fear the scheme will make it impossible for me to visit Snowdonia on weekends in the future.
Flintshire: 1).There is not a problem with traffic in Snowdonia I Visit it most Sunday's with no
problems. 2) Instead of creating spending in Snowdonia the park and ride scheme would cause people to not visit at all due to their freedom being removed.3.Some people may think the park and ride scheme is good for them
fine, but people should not be made to use this system. I heard a report last year of a walker having to hitch a lift because such a bus didn't turn up to return him to the car park, after a long enjoyable walk
that's all you need.
Pantymwyn, Nr Mold: I was unaware of this scheme until just after
Christmas. I then wrote to the Project Officer at Gwynedd CC to express my opposition and bewilderment. I did not receive even an acknowledgement of receipt.
Erdington, Birmingham: I am a quite frequent visitor to Snowdonia, both for family holidays and mountain walking activities with a group of friends. The freedom to travel by car within the park, without punitive parking charges, is an absolutely essential factor in being able to make the most of the various attractions. This scheme will very effectively exclude visitors to the region. As an 'outsider', it's is very difficult to imagine that it was conceived for any other reason. Tourism is the lifeblood of Snowdonia and without it, the prosperity and general upkeep of the region will surely decline. Whilst we can all understand the need for some 'management' and controls on parking, the measures proposed are excess in the extreme!
Totnes, Devon: The whole idea of a Park and Ride scheme as, effectively, the only means of visitor access to the hills is absolutely crazy. It would have the effect of deterring visitors in large numbers and would be economically disastrous for the hundreds of small businesses in Snowdonia that depend on tourism. Park & Ride is all very well for a visit to a town centre, where there is only one well-defined location to visit and where one can predict with certainty the time of visit, but completely inappropriate for a mountainous area with numerous points of departure and return and with all the uncertainty of timing due to the vagaries of the weather and
difficulties of terrain. On several occasions I have had to modify my plan for a day in the hills because the weather closed in unexpectedly, or because of a minor problem with one of the party - but we always knew that our car was available at the start point when we wanted it. The prospect of reaching the road in foul weather with an hour or more to wait for the next bus would be enough to deter me from planning walks in Snowdonia in future. After all there is plenty of fine walking country in other areas within my range. If traffic and car parking is a problem in Snowdonia at the height of summer (I visit out-of-season and find no problems) surely the answer is to develop additional carefully landscaped and tree-shielded car parking areas which would not detract from the scenery.
Appleton, Warrington: I am all for improving public transport facilities to provide reduced car access to cities and areas of high population. The beauty of walking is that you can get away from the rest into an area where you only meet a few like minded souls. Cars or specially chartered buses are the way to do this at the moment. Park and ride might work in some areas but should not be an excuse to exclude all cars from National Parks. Try both and see what happens before applying a draconian solution. Adding the time to travel to an area, park and then wait for the park and ride bus to get you to a starting point and the same on the way back could reduce a day's walking by a couple of hours and make people stay away altogether. How about some common sense? I suppose that is too much to ask?
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