A weekly newspaper is doing its bit to beat traffic gridlock on its patch by allowing visitors to use its car park at weekends.

The Kentish Gazette has teamed up with Canterbury City Council to make its 80-space office car park in Whitstable available for a summer park-and-ride scheme on Saturdays and Sundays. e

With very few newspaper staff working at wekends, around 75 parking spaces will be available to the public.

The KM Group-owned paper hopes the scheme will help tackle the congestion problems the town suffers from during summer weekends.

The city council’s head of transportation and engineering, Viv Pritchard, said: “We have been trying to find a park and ride site for a number of years, but nothing has been suitable or available.

“However, the move of the KM Group into Whitstable has given us a new option, and we are very pleased to be working with them to provide a much-needed facility.”

Kentish Gazette editor Leo Whitlock added: “For years our paper, and these days our website www.kentishgazette.co.uk and our kmfm radio station, have been reporting on the gridlock that inflicts the town during the summer months.

“People have been desperately trying to find a solution and I am really pleased that by offering use of our car park, we can do something positive to help people in the town.

“Gazette House is already designed to be extremely energy efficient, save water and encourage people to cycle and walk to work.

“We hope that the park and ride scheme becomes a huge success and our building adds to its reputation for helping the environment by helping to save the fuel of queuing motorists and by cutting pollution.”

Comments

Beano Bob (19/05/2009 10:05:29)
In the absence of any real stories, the KM just creats one of its own.
I suppose it is a form of journalism, although not one I care for.

Robert Drummond (19/05/2009 12:06:38)
The KM do themselves no favours, do they?
The only reason they have so much free space in their car park is because they’ve made so many staff redundant over the last few months.

Brian Baker (19/05/2009 12:32:36)
It’s good that local newspapers are trying support their communities. Sadly an 80 extra car parking places is only a pebble in the sea when you consider that the Whitstable Oyster Festival sees an influx of 75,000 visitors, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Canterbury City Council and the KM Group should be congratulated in investing their commitment in the local community which is the foundation that will see us through these uncertain finacial times.

Trevor Hunter (20/05/2009 16:09:56)
This is just a glorified press release about how ‘green’ the KM supposedly are. Making people redundant and producing duff newspapers doesn’t strike me as being very green!