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Park & Ride strike

Released on 16 Apr 2007

Customers of three Park & Ride sites in Oxford are being advised that the staff are taking industrial action and it may affect their travel.  

Oxford City Council is introducing lone working so it can ensure that there is someone on duty to monitor security and assist the public at all times.  

There has not been any change to the hours of operation just the way the shifts are covered.  

The three sites affected are Pear Tree, Redbridge and Seacourt and it is expected that the staff will ask the buses not to enter the Park & Ride sites.  

Customers at all three sites are being advised that there will be disruption to their service and they may have to catch the bus outside the park and ride site during the strike.

The lone working scheme has been introduced after over a year's preparation. As part of the process to ensure staff safety an independent risk assessment was carried out. This confirmed that providing certain measures were taken it would be safe for lone working at any time of day.  

Mobile telephones have been issued to each site and an intercom system that allows staff to hold a conversation in the evening without having to leave the office has been fitted at Seacourt, Pear Tree and the new building at Redbridge. 

A check call system has been introduced that requires Park & Ride staff to telephone a dedicated number at set times. If the call is not received a set procedure is implemented that entails telephone calls and site visits by other members of car park staff. 

We are also arranging for the Thames Valley Police CCTV centre at St Aldates to have control of each sites CCTV and a dedicated radio link between each site and the Police CCTV centre. 

Lone working will mean that more staff are covering the site when there are more people using the car park, between 7.15am and 11.15pm Monday to Saturday and 9am until 5pm on Sundays.   

Lone working is also in place in other areas of the Council: park rangers, elderly services wardens, public convenience cleaners, Environmental Health out of hours team, temporary accommodation managers and rent officers.

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