THE Wilton park-and-ride site opens next Monday, offering 400 cheap parking spaces to commuters heading to Salisbury from the west of the region.

Situated off The Avenue, opposite the headquarters of Land Command, it will be Salisbury's second park-and-ride site and will operate identically to the successful Beehive park-and-ride site on Salisbury's northern boundary.

Motorists will park and then travel into the city centre on buses running every ten or 15 minutes between 7am and 7.30pm.

Salisbury district council portfolio holder for transport Dennis Brown said he was delighted the new site was about to open and thought it would be a big hit with commuters. He said: "Residents living in the north of our district have enjoyed the benefits of park-and-ride for four years, and it is hugely popular - because it's cheaper to use and makes your journey into the city that much easier.

"I really hope that people who need to come via Wilton into Salisbury will try park-and-ride and see that for themselves."

The Beehive opened four years ago and has carried about 600,000 passengers on its bus routes during that period.

The city's third park-and-ride site, under construction on the Salisbury-Downton road at Britford, is due to open within the next month or so and will serve motorists coming into Salisbury from the south.

As well as the park-and-ride developments, several other transport features will be unveiled this year to improve life for residents, workers and visitors.

Real Time bus passenger information will soon be available at every bus stop, so that passengers can see exactly how long they have to wait for the next bus.

A computer system is also due to go live that allows traffic lights to react to the volume of traffic, easing the flow of cars through the city.

And a variable message system will soon see electronic signs at the main entrances to Salisbury, telling motorists of space availability in the city centre's car parks.