David Ruffley has today expressed his concern at further delays to the Bury St Edmunds Park & Ride scheme.

An important Park & Ride meeting on Friday 21 November, at which a proposed Park & Ride scheme for Bury was to be presented to stakeholders, has been postponed. The meeting, organised by Suffolk County Council, is now unlikely to take place until the New Year and no date has yet been set.

Consultants Mouchel Parkman were commissioned in mid 2007 to produce a report on a scheme for Bury St Edmunds by Suffolk County Council (as the lead authority) and St Edmundsbury Borough Council. Although the consultants were originally expected to produce a draft report by last Christmas, a final draft report had been sent to both councils by the summer of this year.

David said: 'I have been urging both the County and Borough councils to get on with a Park & Ride scheme in Bury for years. We need a sense of urgency here. It's not good enough to allow delay after delay to occur. This report should have been presented months ago.

'I receive numerous complaints from my constituents who are stuck in queues when driving into town. The need for a Park & Ride scheme is getting more urgent than ever.

'This week's gridlock as a result of a collapsed sewer in Tayfen Road demonstrates the need to reduce the amount of traffic in Bury town centre.

'I call on both Suffolk County Council and St Edmundsbury Borough Council to inject some urgency into this issue before Bury grinds to a halt.'