(27 Jan 2020, 9:41 am)Andreos1 wrote Buses have to be attractive, affordable, frequent and reliable. 
Making a town centre 'less car friendly' doesn't determine whether or not people will use the bus. Particularly when it's a lot easier to do shopping online.
There's no natural order which determines a modal shift, based on a town centre being 'less car friendly'. 

Town centres across the UK are slowly dying. Alienating car owners isn't going to save them.

You are correct, they are dying - but offering free parking isn't going to change that. 

It will simply move a proportion of existing bus passengers, who already go to the town, to the car (of which there probably are a fair few who luckily have a choice). In turn, makes the bus service less viable and the resulting frequency hit or ultimate withdrawal affects many, many more people.

Alienating car owners is the way forward in my view (and I own a car). Climate change will ensure that and hopefully towns and cities will follow York's plans. Buses, trains, trams etc are much more sustainable, they just need room to grow. Only then, will they be attractive, affordable, frequent and reliable (simply because demand exists at a level to sustain it all and congestion is reduced by removing cars from city and town centres).