With over 15,000 people expected to visit York tomorrow to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen and The Royal Party visiting the city, motorists are being advised to avoid driving in the city centre and use public transport where possible.

There will be a blanket road closure of the city centre on Thursday 5 April between 10am and 1.30pm. The closure will mean certain areas of the city centre will be closed during this time.
Visitors are being advised to use Park and Ride services, public transport or alternative travel such as cycling into the city centre. All public transport services will be affected and delays are expected throughout the day.

Blue Badge access and accessible parking will be limited. Only accessible parking in Colliergate and King’s Square will be unaffected.

Restrictions will also be in place on the evening of Wednesday 4 April throughout parts of the city centre. Shop deliveries, loading and unloading will be affected on Thursday 5 on Blake St, Duncombe Place and High Petergate, which are closed from 9am.

The City Walls between Baile Hill and Lendal will be closed all morning and will reopen at 11am; and the City Walls between Monk Bar and Bootham Bar will reopen at 1.30pm.
Access to Micklegate will be restricted until 7pm, as residents and retailers hold a street party to celebrate The Queen’s visit.

Further details can be found on the following web site:

http://www.thediamondjubilee.org/royal-maundy-service-york-minster-and-visit-york-5-april-2012

North Yorkshire Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following roads between Wednesday 4 April and Tuesday 10 April 2012.

•A64 Malton by-pass Malton east and west-bound
•A64 Seamer by-pass Scarborough
•A64 Seamer Road, Scarborough
•A64 between Whitwell Hill and Barton Hill
•A64 between Barton-le-Willows and Jinnah
•A1039, Filey Road at Flixton
•B1427 Queen Margaret’s Road, Scarborough
•B1249 at Staxton Wold near Staxton, Scarborough
•A165 Reighton by-pass between Sands Road and Hunmanby Road
•Stoney Haggs Road, Scarborough south-bound towards Seamer
•B1249 Foxholes to County Boundary
•A64 east-bound carriageway Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•A64 west-bound carriageway, Bowbridge Farm, Tadcaster
•Millfield Lane, Poppleton, York
•Beckfield Lane, York
•Green Lane, Acomb, York
•Ryecroft Avenue, Acomb, York
•Temple Lane, Copmanthorpe, York
•A1036 Tadcaster Road, York
•A1237 Monks Cross, York
•Strensall Road, Huntington, York
•York Road, Haxby, York

The mobile safety cameras will be in operation at the above sites at various times during the dates stated. Cameras will not be in use on the above routes all day, every day.

The momentum generated in December 2010 by the launch of a trial low emission bus service in York, has disappeared following an admission at the last Council meeting from the York Councillor – with responsibility for the bus service – that he doesn’t know when similar vehicles will run regularly in the City.
The problem can be traced to deteriorating relations over the last year between the Council and bus operators.

Already we have seen the ftr withdrawn from the City and with lead-in times on new low emission vehicles at over 12 months, there seems little chance of seeing an eco bus fleet on the York streets much before 2015. Other City’s are working in partnership with bus operators and are already securing slots in the manufacturing pipeline.

It is ironic that the setback comes at a time when the Council is saying that it wants to reduce pollution levels in the City centre. It agreed a strategy for doing so at a meeting yesterday. However, it will have little impact unless new technologies are harnessed.

Labour are saddled with a public transport policy which relies on the franchising of bus services across the City. This is an expensive and time consuming option which could come to nothing if affordable tenders are not provided by bus companies.

In the meantime partnership working is breaking down with investment leaving the City and heading for the easier trading conditions which can be found in West Yorkshire.