Works set to improve Monkgate roundabout safety

City of York Council will be improving the layout of the roundabout on Monkgate in an effort to improve safety for both cyclists and pedestrians.

Work will start on Monday 6 November and is expected to be completed by early December. Work will take place from 7am-3.30pm, Monday to Friday. To ensure that it is carried out safely there will be some lane closures during the works.

The improvements will see the approach to the roundabout on Huntington Road altered with improved crossing facilities at the traffic island. There will also be a new mandatory cycle lane on Huntington Road o enable cyclists to bypass any queuing traffic to use the off road route.

A shared use foot/cycle path will also be created on the corner of Huntington Road and Heworth Green. The width of the traffic islands on Heworth Green will also be increased to allow cyclists to use them safely.

The scheme was originally approved at an executive member for transport and planning decision session on 13 October 2016. This followed a consultation with homeowners on Monkgate and Huntington Road with most supporting the safety improvements.

As with any construction work, there is likely to be a certain amount of disruption. Residents in the affected area have been contacted directly and assured that everything reasonably possible will be done to keep this to a minimum. However, motorists should expect some delays and plan their journey accordingly.

City walls shine light on pancreatic cancer

York’s historic walls have turned purple to support a city resident’s campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

City of York Council are lighting up Clifford’s Tower and the walls from the station to the Minster to mark Pancreatic Cancer UK’s Purple Lights for Pancreatic Cancer campaign, after being approached by a York resident with an inoperable form of the aggressive cancer.

Jean Clark, 59, of Foxwood, wants to make sure that York residents understand and recognise the early symptoms. 770 people in the Yorkshire and Humber region are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year, with early diagnosis key to the chances of successful treatment.

Mrs Clark was diagnosed in 2013 after at first being diagnosed with acid reflux, before nagging lower back pain prompted her doctor to send her for scans.

Jean said:

“With only 7% of people surviving five years after their diagnosis, picking up the symptoms early is vital. The symptoms are often treated as indigestion, so there’s no investigation. But if you have back ache, acid reflux and a feeling of being full you need to tell your doctor.”

Councillor Ian Gillies, executive member for transport and planning, said:

“We’re delighted to be able to use some of the city’s most iconic buildings to support Jean’s efforts. This vital, potentially life-saving message needs to be spread far and wide.”

Common symptoms of pancreatic cancer include:

  • Abdominal pain. This is an early sign of pancreatic cancer in around 70% of patients, which starts as general discomfort or abdomen pain which spreads to the back
  • Jaundice. This occurs in about 50% of pancreatic cancer patients
  • An inability to digest food or weight loss for no apparent reason is also a cause for concern

The walls and tower will be lit until 17 November. For more information visit: www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk

Mansion House to reopen in December

Admission charge to be  set at £6-50 per person

Mansion House cost up by £150,000

The Council says that the much delayed refurbishment of the Mansion House has been completed and it will reopen to the public in December.

A  report to a meeting taking place next week lists the charges which will apply for general admission to the House as well as the costs of hiring the building for events and filming.

Council officials obviously see the publicly owned building as a competitor for other tourist attractions  in the City such as Fairfax House,  Barley Hall and the Merchant Adventurers Hall. Whether the Mansion House plans will increase the total  income from tourists in the City or simply spread the existing revenue  around more thinly remains to be seen.

No business plan figures are included in the Council report.

The report glosses over the role that the Lord Mayor will have in the future  life of the Mansion House.

Mansion House admission charges

Traditionally the Mansion House has been the home of York’s leading citizen. In recent years the Lord Mayor has occupied a self contained flat at the top of the building.

It now seems that the emphasis of officials will in future be to maximise the commercial income from the property.

The loss of any traditional link, in a City like York, may be regretted in the fullness of time.