A COUNTY highways officer is calling on locals to use the heavily subsidised Truro park and ride scheme which was designed to cut traffic congestion in the city.

Divisional surveyor Peter Tatlow told the Packet that tourists were using the park and ride scheme but locals were heading for the city centre's car parks.

"We are trying to get people to think about the park and ride," he said. "A lot of visitors will go for it because they are so used to it up country. It is the locals who are travelling from the Falmouth direction who don't."

He added drivers were using the park and ride as a second option after finding the city centre car parks full. This meant cars were driving unecessarily around the city, adding to congestion, instead of heading straight to the park and ride sites.

Cornwall county council, which pumps £20,000 per year into the scheme, wants to change drivers' attitudes.

"We need to get people to use the park and ride as their first option. We have committed money to it and we are spending everything we said we would spend," said Mr Tatlow, who added: "Carrick district council also put £2,400 into the scheme. The cattle market park and ride we are pleased with. People have to drive by that site to get into Truro, but when they come from Falmouth they have to make that conscious decision to drive to the park and ride rather than just going into the city centre."

Mr Tatlow said the park and ride, which operates during the summer period and at Christmas, was being used more on wet days when the tourists were deserting the beaches for the city centre's shops.

"Last week we had 50 vehicles using it on a Tuesday when it was dry, on Friday we had 208 vehicles when it was wet. The previous Wednesday we had 240 cars that used it," he added. The divisional surveyor confirmed the park and ride's future was secure because it was a seasonal scheme, operating to reduce congestion at the height of the tourist period, and at Christmas.

There are two park and ride sites, the cattle market and Truro football club. Mr Tatlow said the latter site was not as busy as the cattle market and the scheme had attracted 700 cars during its first week in operation.