Chelmsford City Council has said the proposed closure of Saturday park and ride services from one of two sites in the city would send out “exactly the wrong signal” towards a sustainable transport system.

As part of a public consultation launched by Essex County Council over the future of park and ride service in Chelmsford, the county council has proposed to raise the age of child tickets to 18 and to offer a discount when tickets are purchased digitally through an app.

But as well as a reduced adult fare on Saturdays from Sandon, it is also proposing the closure of the Chelmer Valley Park and Ride on Saturdays.

Chelmsford City Council supports a proposal to raise ticket prices with inflation, the child ticket age from 16 to 18, the discounted ticket offer when paying through an app and even the plans to remove ticket machines altogether from the two sites.

However it does not support the proposed Saturday closure of the Chelmer Valley site in Essex Regiment Way, which it says could increase the pressure on local roads and decrease the attractiveness of the city centre to visitors and shoppers on a Saturday.

Chelmsford Council leader Roy Whitehead said: “I have made the point to the deputy leader at Essex County Council that this is setting exactly the wrong tone.

“That on one hand that we need more park and ride and on the other the Chelmer site is going to close on Saturdays.

“It is sending out exactly the wrong signal to the public.”

Chelmsford City Council has said Chelmsford’s park and rides are a key component of Chelmsford’s public transport system and by intercepting cars on the edge of the town, they help to improve accessibility and to reduce traffic congestion and pollution in the city centre.

They also contribute towards the ethos of the “new Local Plan to maximise opportunities for sustainable transport”.

The council says there is still a relatively good patronage on Saturdays and that is expected to increase in the future with planned new growth in and around Chelmsford and beyond within Braintree, Brentwood and Maldon districts.

Cllr Whitehead added: “One of the answers proposed for the Army and Navy is another park and ride.

“The city council and county council are looking at those already, which is why it is not a great idea to send out a signal that you should cut the Saturday one.”

A decision on the consultation, which will run until March 22, is expected to be made in summer 2019.