Despite being promoted as a cheaper alternative to driving into Norwich, some city folk say they would rather pay for parking than travel to the outskirts of the city and hop on a bus.

There are six park and ride sites - Norwich Airport, Postwick, Costessey, Harford, Sprowston and Thickthorn - which are also meant to help reduce congestion in the city centre.

But drivers are still regularly seen queuing to get into the city's multi-storey car parks.

'IT'S SO MUCH EASIER'

Noel Armstrong, 66, says he parks at Castle Mall if he is going to see a movie because he will get his parking free if he validates it at the cinema.

Noel Armstrong who is 66 years old (Image: Newsquest)

He said: "It's just more convenient. I think the park and rides are more for people who live out in the country and for tourists who do not know the city well."

Other people agree with him. For Molly Parker, who lives in NR3, it is easier - and quicker - to drive into the city and pay for parking than it is to travel to her nearest park and ride at Sprowston.

Ms Parker, who parked at the Forum, said: "It's for the ease of it. By the time we have driven to the park and ride, we would be in the city centre anyway.

Molly Parker and Luis Rutland were running some errands in the city and parked at the Forum (Image: Newsquest)

"We moan about how expensive it is to park in the city but we will still pay for it."

John Faben, who lives in the city, says the park and ride sites are "just too far out for people who live in Norwich".

John Faben, here with Emma says the park and rides are too far out of the city (Image: Newsquest)

Some people also say parking in the city is more convenient for those with disabilities.

Carol Mayes, 65, said: "I mostly use the bus but if my friend and I have an evening out, we'll try and park outside the theatre and in the disabled spaces because she has a blue badge.

"It's closer to where we need to be and it's quicker than using the bus."

Carol Mayes says when she parks in the city it is often quicker than the bus (Image: Newsquest)

Richard Mason, who lives in Yarmouth, says he used to use the Postwick park and ride before it closed during the Covid pandemic.

Despite it having reopened, Mr Mason said: "It was really convenient because Postwick was on our route but these days, we park because it's easier and we can park more centrally now."

The park and ride services have been running for approximately 35 years and fall under Norfolk County Council's remit, which contracts out its operations.

But the car parks, which are free to use, have been closed several times to drivers when groups of travellers pitch their caravans, disrupting passengers' journeys.

Travellers pitched at Thickthorn park and ride in June last year (Image: Supplied)

Last year, encampments led to closures at Thickthorn and Harford while authorities worked to move the groups on.

One of the sites, Postwick Park and Ride, was also closed in 2020 to make way for one of the region's first Covid testing sites.

It then reopened in 2022.

Postwick park and ride coronavirus test centre (Image: Mike Page)

CHARGE CUT ON THE WAY

Norfolk County Council has also announced it will be cutting the cost of groups of up to five travelling on the service at the end of the month.

A spokeswoman for Norfolk County Council said: "The Norwich Park and Ride service is a great value way of getting into Norwich.

"It is very often cheaper than parking in the city centre and buses run every 10 – 20 minutes from five convenient sites, dropping passengers off in the heart of the city centre.

"Thanks to funding we have secured for our Bus Service Improvement Plan, we're pleased to announce that from March 29 the group ticket price will be reduced from £6 to £5 – making it even better value for groups and families."

© Eastern Daily Press