WINCHESTER will have a free Park and Ride service on Sundays.

The city council and Winchester Business Improvement District (BID) have set out measures to support the increase in visitors coming into the city.

Over this busy period, people are being urged to use public transport where possible as a means of getting in and out of the city.

A new, free seasonal Park & Ride service will be available on Sundays from November 24 to December 22 at three of the council’s four sites, except Pitt. A free shuttle bus will run every 10 minutes from the East car parks and every 12 minutes from the South Winchester Park & Ride into the city centre from 9am to 6.30pm.

The council will also operate extra Christmas Park & Ride buses during the rest of the week until Christmas Eve. The additional services will run during extended hours from 6.30am to 8.30pm Monday to Friday, and 7am to 8.30pm on Saturdays.

In addition, real-time digital signage will be placed at three key routes into the city to provide updates on parking availability, helping drivers reach available parking spaces. The signage will be located at Andover Road, Bar End Road and the roundabout next to King Alfred’s statue in central Winchester.

The BID has also worked hard to provide parking for businesses to free up spaces in the city by providing a park and stride initiative at Winchester City Football Club at Abbotts Barton, as well as free weekend parking at Tower Street Car Park for BID members.

Visitors can also use the BID’s parking app, which displays up-to-the-minute information on the car parks with available spaces.

To find out more about travel into Winchester during the Christmas period, visit: https://www.winchester.gov.uk/parking/christmas-parking

To download BID’s App, search for ‘Park Winchester’ on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.