Redbridge park-and-ride users in Oxford should see the new £400,000 passenger terminal open in time for Christmas shopping.

Officials are hoping the new facilities at the site off Abingdon Road - a waiting room, public toilets, baby-changing facilities and cycle racks - will mean fewer shoppers driving into the city centre during the busy shopping period, helping to cut congestion.

The new terminal follows the construction of a similar building at the Water Eaton park-and-ride near Kidlington in 2003.

It will have a raised viewing platform like the one at Water Eaton, to give security guards a good view of the site. Its design will also be used for similar buildings at Seacourt, off Botley Road, and Pear Tree, north of Oxford, when funding is available.

Jean Fooks, city council cabinet member for transport, said: "The new passenger terminal should be open by December 4, which will mean we can encourage Christmas shoppers to use park-and-ride. That will help to reduce congestion in a very busy period.

"The passenger terminal is really taking shape, and we hope its presence will lead to an increase in the number of people using park-and-ride services, particularly after Abingdon Road has been resurfaced.

"CCTV is being installed to increase security, with security staff working from early in the morning until 11.15pm at night.

"Unfortunately, there will not be security staff working round-the-clock, so it is common sense not to leave your vehicles there overnight.

"But with security maintained until after 11 it means people can come into town and leave their cars safe before going on to the theatre or a restaurant."

Mrs Fooks added that the county council's decision to make on-street parking free in the evenings after 6.30pm in Oxford and on Sunday was not helping to maintain the number of passengers using park-and-ride.

"It sends out a mixed message and does not help, but we hope that improving facilities at park-and-rides will lead to increased usage," she added.

The Liberal Democrat councillor said she hoped park-and-ride services would one day be used by some school pupils, and this would help to reduce the amount of traffic during rush-hour.

Water Eaton won a Secured Car Park award after reaching its first anniversary in November 2004 without a single break-in being recorded.

The city's park-and-ride network, celebrated its 30th birthday in 2003 and is the oldest system in the country. The county council runs the Water Eaton and Thornhill sites, while the city council runs Pear Tree, Seacourt and Redbridge.

In January this year, arsonists torched four vehicles overnight at Pear Tree.

At Pear Tree, Seacourt, and Redbridge, staff leave at 5pm at weekends, and at 11.15pm on weekdays.

At Water Eaton and Thornhill, the county council pays a private firm to employ nine staff to patrol the sites until 6.45pm and 11.30pm respectively.