AMBITIOUS targets to increase the number of passengers on York's Park&Ride services over the next five years have been slashed after the Government "short-changed" the city on transport funding.

Transport chiefs at City of York Council have been forced to re-evaluate their plans to vastly boost the number of passengers on the successful service in the wake of a multi-million pound cut from Whitehall.

Last month, the Evening Press reported the Government had cut £6.5 million from York's local transport plan between 2006 and 2011.

The cutback came in spite of the council's proposals being rated by the Department of Transport as among the best in the country - one of only 16 to win the plaudit "very promising".

The cuts initially saw the council abandon proposals to expand and improve the A59 roundabout with the Outer Ring Road, as well as spending less cash on cycling, walking and traffic management schemes.

Now council officers have also had to wield the axe on the potential growth of Park&Ride, one of York's huge success stories over the past few years.

The council had planned to develop initiatives that would have increased the number of passengers on services between Park&Ride stations at Askham Bar, Grimston Bar, Monks Cross, Rawcliffe Bar and the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, in Fulford, by 82 per cent.

Now that figure has been re-evaluated to just 40 per cent as the council's plans have had to be revised to reflect the reduced funding.

Last year, Park&Ride passenger numbers soared 23 per cent, with more than 200,000 people a month using the service.

A total of 2.5 million people were expected to have used Park&Ride buses in the 12 months to the end of this month.

Julie Hurley, the council's head of transport planning, said the new figure was due to the A59 Park&Ride scheme having to be shelved after the Government cuts.

She said: "Over the five years, we could have increased the patronage by a large amount. Now that has been shelved, we will continue to increase our patronage at other sites, but have to be more realistic and it is a realistic target (40 per cent)."

Peter Edwards, First commercial director, said: "We see the development of Park&Ride as a long-term strategy. One of the ways of seriously tackling congestion in the city centre is to encourage use of Park&Ride.

"This news is a disappointment. We would have seen this as one of the key elements of the strategy (to develop Park&Ride). It is a shame it has had to become less ambitious."

Updated: 11:26 Wednesday, March 15, 2006