Great Western Railway is being urged to reconsider an increase in daily parking charges at Hanborough Station amid continuing concerns over the lack of available parking for passengers.
The daily parking charge at the station is increasing by 50p to £5.20, a rise of around 10%.
Local County Councillor Liam Walker has written to Great Western Railway expressing his disappointment at the increase and calling for a compromise that would see the daily charge set at £5.00 and frozen at that level until parking provision at the station is significantly improved.
Hanborough Station has seen growing passenger demand, but its car park is regularly full or close to capacity by around 8am, leaving commuters struggling to find a space.
Cllr Walker has repeatedly raised the need for additional parking at the station and says that despite land being secured and numerous meetings taking place about expanding provision, passengers are still waiting to see meaningful improvements.
Cllr Liam Walker, County Councillor for Hanborough and Hailey and Leader of the Conservatives at Oxfordshire County Council, said: "Passengers are already running the gauntlet every morning trying to find a parking space at Hanborough, so increasing the daily charge by around 10% when the car park is regularly full is extremely disappointing."
"We have had meeting after meeting about increasing parking provision and land has been secured, but residents understandably want to see some actual progress."
"I have warned GWR before that there is a real risk more people will simply drive to Oxford Parkway, where parking is now cheaper and the train service is often more reliable. That would be completely counterproductive when we should be trying to make Hanborough a key public transport hub for West Oxfordshire.
"I am asking GWR to compromise by setting the daily charge at £5.00 and committing to no further increases until the parking provision at Hanborough has been significantly improved.”
Cllr Walker has also asked Great Western Railway to explain the justification for the increase and provide an update on progress towards delivering additional parking capacity at Hanborough Station.
