Ipswich now has three Park and Ride routes operating from terminals established close to interchange points on the eastern and western by-pass A12/A14 roads. The Martlesham service makes intermediate stops at Ipswich Hospital, providing visitors with an alternative to parking on the hospital site, and also at St Helen's Church to serve staff and students at Suffolk College.

On reaching the centre of town the buses make a circuit of the main shopping and business areas with stopping places at frequent intervals, at each of which passengers can either alight or board for the return journey. The locations of these stops are:

• Museum Street/ Westgate Street
• Friars Street/ Queen Street
• Old Cattle Market/ St Stephen's Lane
• Upper Brook Street/ Butter Market
• and either Northgate Street/ Central Library (Bury Road and London Road services)
• or Great Colman Street/ Northgate Street (Martlesham service).

The London Road P & R service has additional stops at Princes Street/ Greyfriars to serve the local business area and the football ground. The Bury Road service has an additional stop at St Matthew's Street/ Berners Street.

Many of the town bus services and those from rural areas use all or part of the same town centre gyratory system so that passengers can choose where to get on or off depending on which part of the town centre they are visiting. Previously most passengers had to go to Tower Ramparts terminus whether or not it was convenient. This considerable convenience for passengers is beginning to be more widely known and appreciated.

RUSSELL NUNN