A new £50 million project will see the railway station redeveloped. Our reporter Katie Green says it cannot come soon enough.
Parking at a train station is never easy, especially during peak times. But at Peterborough railway station, parking is an absolute nightmare.
With work beginning last week for the first phase on the major £50 million project that will see my home city get an improved railway station quarter, I say it cannot come soon enough. I have vague memories of when Peterborough station underwent a refurbishment in 2012, with more parking added.
I remember my mum driving to pick up my brother from the train station, but we always had to park at the eastern end of the station. You would be lucky to get a space.
But then, the station increased its parking and it seemed a lot easier. Flash forward a few years and I commuted for work, meaning I travelled to and from the station a lot.
At the time I couldn’t drive, so I would be picked up. As I would come out to get picked up, the tiny pick-up and drop-off area would be swarmed with cars, especially taxis.
One of the worst parts of the pick up area is the slanted spaces. These spaces used to be straight, which seemed a lot easier to park in. But with them being slanted, it seemed to become more complicated for people to park.
Whenever I was picked up, again it would be luck of the draw if you could get in a slanted space. So, the case would be that whoever was picking me up would have to pause in a disabled spot at the bottom.
Flash forward another two years and I could drive. I regularly pick up my partner from the station and when I do, it will be at a peak time of 6pm.
The chances are that when I drive into the station, I am hanging about on the small zebra crossing as there is normally a queue into the main parking area. The more I started to drive to the station, I soon learnt my biggest pet peeve of parking here.
It was the taxi drivers. Despite having a dedicated part for them in the main station car park and also the front, the pick up and drop off area still will be made up of mostly taxis. I understand, if someone has ordered a taxi for a quick getaway from the station, the chances are the taxi is going to pull up in the pick up area.
But when taxis start to park up on double yellow lines at the side, suddenly stop in the middle of the main parking area and take up the majority of the slanted spaces, it gets on my nerves. Where taxis park on the double yellow lines, some will also park too close to the entrance near the zebra crossing, blocking other drivers from getting in.
One time, I couldn’t get past and a taxi started to reverse, without noticing I was behind them. There was also another car behind me, so with no chance of reversing myself, I had to honk to get their attention. That wasn’t the only time I have had to beep my horn to avoid getting hit in this parking area – but I won’t dwell on that.
The new £50 million plans are set to improve connectivity to Peterborough and create a new gateway to the city. The plans look to build a new station entrance and a new multi-storey car park. It will also improve its public spaces and facilities for passengers.
This is definitely something that is needed, especially for the parking. I don’t have any complaints about the main station car park as I think it has enough space. But I think the station having a multi-storey car park would reduce congestion at the station by a large margin.
I also think the area that fronts the station could definitely do with an uplift. For a busy station where people commute to a lot of major places such as London, it is fairly small.
I hope the improvements would modernise the station and add to its appeal for commuters. It would also be good to extend the café and sitting area, so that there is more space for people waiting for their trains.
Ultimately, it is the pick-up area that needs a major overhaul. It is too small, overcrowded in peak times, and needs a complete refurbishment so it is not awkward for drivers when they need to nip in quickly.
However long this major refurbishment work takes, I’m looking forward to it being completed. I have high hopes that it will improve access to the station and be a boost to the city of Peterborough.
