SEVERAL station car parks in the Bradford district have achieved the Park Mark award, meaning there are now 100 stations across the Northern network with the independent accreditation.

A Park Mark is awarded to parking facilities that pass a rigorous risk assessment conducted by the police and the British Parking Association. The assessments include management and maintenance of the facility, ensuring that there are appropriate levels of surveillance, lighting, signage and cleanliness, criteria which are known to reduce the opportunity for crime and create a safer environment for the motorist and their vehicle.

Local station car parks that have received the accreditation are Baildon, Ben Rhydding, Bradford Forster Square, Burley in Wharfedale, Crossflatts, Skipton and Steeton and Silsden.

In line with improvements and modernisation across the network Northern said it had been working to gain Park Mark awards for many stations across its network – giving customers a greater degree of security and safety when they leave their cars behind.

David Brown, Northern’s managing director, said: “Safety is a priority for us at Northern and whether our customers are in a car park, at a station, on a platform or on a train we want them to be safe and feel safe.

“We are working hard to improve and modernise our services and stations and are in the midst of an ambitious and wide-ranging programme that will transform rail travel in the north of England.

“As part of this we want to make our stations and car parks as safe as possible for customers and reassure those who choose to leave their cars behind that their vehicles are just as safe.

He added: “To have 100 car parks awarded is a fantastic step towards this, but we know there is more work to do and we will continue to work with our partners and local communities to push for further improvements across our network.”

Ryan Davey, British Parking Association Area Manager for the North East, said: “I am delighted that Northern has achieved Park Mark in 100 of its car parks. This award shows the company’s commitment to ensure facilities are kept to a high standard and remain areas of low crime.

“Staff work hard to ensure the car parks meet the standards each year. This means rail users know when they park their cars, measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of both them and their vehicle.”