Transportation

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Bedford by Road

Bedford benefits from excellent transport links and is easy to reach by car or public transport.

The town is conveniently located between the A1 and M1 and is well served by the A421 dual carriageway which links the two major roads as well as the A6 and A428. The A421 means that Milton Keynes is just a half hour drive from Bedford, as is Cambridge.

Bedford also has a Park and Ride service, with a site in Elstow. This facility has a spacious car park, CCTV on site and a waiting room with toilet facilities. The buses operate seven days a week on a high frequency from approximately 6:30am until 11pm (please refer to timetables). Stagecoach also operates a network of frequent services serving Bedford and the surrounding area

Parking

Parking in Bedford couldn’t be easier with plenty of spaces at multi-storey and surface car parks in the town centre. All Council-run town centre car parks are free to park in every Saturday for the first two hours, after which normal charges apply. In addition, parking is free on-street and in a number of council-run car parks after 6pm Monday to Saturday and all Sunday. Visitors have the ability to pay for their parking using their mobile phone – making it easier to park in and around the town. Payment can even be made via an iPhone app (other smartphones are available!). Many of the car parks have been awarded the nationally recognised Park Mark. This is recognition that a car park has been approved by the Police and measures are in place to ensure the safety of visitors and their vehicles. For further information on parking, including prices and a location map of all council car parks, please visit www.bedford.gov.uk/parking Timetables of all buses which serve Bedford Borough are also available on the Council website: www.bedford.gov.uk/businfo

Bedford by Train

There are regular rail services from Bedford to Brighton, Gatwick Airport, East Croydon, London Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon, London St Pancras International, Luton Airport Parkway & Luton via Thameslink with trains arriving and departing every 15 minutes. There are also regular East Midlands Trains services to London St Pancras with a journey time of just 40 minutes, and regular East Midlands Trains services to the Midlands and the North. In addition the Marston Vale Line provides hourly services from Bedford to Bletchley and easy access to Milton Keynes, Leighton Buzzard, Watford Junction and the West Midlands with one change at Bletchley.

Bedford by Bike

There are almost 1,000 kilometres of Public Rights of Way in the Bedford Borough area, linking Bedford to surrounding towns and villages to the beautiful countryside and landscape of the county. Bedfordshire is relatively flat, making walking and cycling easier, whatever your fitness level.
For the latest walking and cycling map for Bedford and Kempston please visit the Travel Bedford website.
The Let’s Go website is also a great source of free downloadable maps and directions for walkers, cyclists, birdwatchers and equestrian pursuits.

National Cycle Network Routes in Bedfordshire

Sustrans is a voluntary body working with Bedford Borough Council to grow the National Cycle Network (NCN) and to build more off-road and quiet road cycle routes in Bedfordshire.
There are currently 3 NCN routes in Bedfordshire. The plan is that eventually these will link up as a triangle around Bedfordshire, connecting Milton Keynes, Sandy and Welwyn Garden City by cycle path. Some of these routes are still under construction.