As schools and shops will begin a phased reopening in June, bus operators, rail operators and City of York Council are making changes to ensure that safe travel options are available for residents.
More buses and trains will be operating and appropriate health and safety measures will be in place to ensure that social distancing guidelines can be adhered to, which may mean reduced capacity on board.
To help support essential journeys, on peak times, please plan ahead and travel outside of the busiest times, particularly first thing in the morning.
Changes on board
Bus operators are putting in place new safety measures to protect staff and customers. These include reducing the number of available seats on board each bus, encouraging the wearing of face coverings, ensuring alighting passengers are clear of the bus before anyone else boards and keeping a safe distance when boarding.
Please be patient and observe all the safety measures when travelling. You should not leave your house if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, including a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. There’s lots more information on how to travel safely available online.
Customer safety information will be displayed at bus stops. When queueing please maintain a 2 metre distance between yourself and other passengers. Additional measures may be put in place at stops to manage social distancing
To help prevent unnecessary contact, please use cashless payment methods, such as contactless debit cards, smartcards or M-ticket apps wherever possible. To help support essential journeys on peak time buses, normal concessionary travel rules will apply from Monday 1 June.
Bus passes will be accepted for concessionary travel only after 9am on weekdays and at any time on weekends, with the exception of blind persons who are permitted to travel at any time of day in York.
Bus operators and the council are working to update timetables as quickly as possible. Please note that due to the short notice nature of these service changes, some timetables on journey planning websites, apps and real-time information screens may not be updated immediately. Please visit bus operator websites for the latest timetable information.
Park & Ride:
Services 2A, 7 and 9 (Rawcliffe Bar, Designer Outlet and Monks Cross) will run every 10 minutes at peak times, 15 minutes during the day and every hour during the evening. A half hourly service will be provided on Sundays
Last Park & Ride buses from the city centre will depart at 10:15pm (service 2A), 22:45 (service 7), 8:05pm (service 9, Mon-Sat) or 7pm (service 9, Sundays)
The Designer Outlet car park remains closed until further notice- service 7 is using the same stop as service 415 (on the roundabout)
Services 3, 8 and 59 (Askham Bar, Grimston Bar and Poppleton Bar P&R) will remain suspended until further notice
Further information about Park and Ride can be found online. You can also find information about how to support social distancing by using Park & Pedal from Monks Cross or Rawcliffe Bar:
A summary of all bus service changes is also available. Rail service levels are gradually being increased. Please use contactless card payments wherever possible and note that most rail services now require seat reservations before travelling. For the latest updates visit train company websites:
We know they’ve got a plan. Must have by by now. Surely
Further details on how City of York Council is supporting businesses through a new Economic Recovery – Transport and Place Strategy – which will help accelerate rebuilding a healthy and inclusive economy, launches next month.
However the Council won’t meet to debate the plan until the end of June by which time many workers will have returned to their jobs.
As the government relaxes the restrictions for retailers from 15 June, the council is developing a strategy to build visitor, resident and stakeholder confidence that York is a safe, healthy and attractive place for everyone.
This new strategy forms part of the council’s Recovery and Renewal Strategy. The Economic Recovery – Transport and Place Strategy is in five interdependent strands that will be delivered over the next few months.
The strategy will focus on:
prioritising active travel (including cycling and walking) by investing in and improving park and cycle sites, increased cycle parking and new cycle routes
The Big Idea? Park and cycle has been tried before with limited success. This is partly because of security/parking issues, partly because many people do not own or can’t ride an appropriate type of bike, or they may have physical capacity limitations and/or have concerns about cycling in poor weather.
providing a short term approach to car travel including “incentivised short stay parking” in some of the city centre car parks
maintaining confidence in and responding to the short term reduction in capacity on public transport – by working with bus and rail operators to ensure people can continue to use public transport with confidence
creating a people focussed city centre including increasing the city centre foot streets and public spaces to create an attractive environment that people can visit with confidence with space to social distance
The council says it “will deliver these measures at pace to best accelerate the recovery of the economy, allowing doors to open safely in June whilst protecting residents’ safety”.
The media release pointedly fails to recognise the barriers to walking and cycling in sub-urban and village areas where unsafe highway surfaces and obstructions are major concerns.
The Council says that residents will be able to give feedback about the plan once measures are in place by participating in the city-wide consultation “Our Big Conversation” helping to set a long-term vision for the city. This will be launched in the next couple of weeks
“Many of the transport and place measures will run for the duration of the one year period and potentially beyond. Although all measures will need to be flexible and remain under review based on government guidance, public health advice, local resident and business feedback, and ongoing assessments of the outcomes of the interventions”
The Council is using social media to promote cycling as a way to get to work when the lock-down ends. Many workplaces, offices and shops are expected to reopen during the next fortnight, putting added pressure on a compromised public transport system.
Cycling – particularly at this time of year – may be an option for some people.
But there is little evidence that the Council is addressing everyday barriers to cycling
These days foot-pads aren’t the biggest threat.
The contraflow cycle lane installed on Bishopthorpe Road is an unnecessary hazard. Inexperienced cyclists trying to use it may indeed be intimidated, making them more likely to use other transport modes. (There is an alternative, quiet, route via Vine Street)
Meanwhile on the Tadcaster Road cycle path “social distancing” signs have appeared near the railway bridge. Fair enough, if a problem has been identified. Clearly more families are now walking or cycling to the Askham Bog nature reserve although social distancing on that site is also problematic.
Social distancing signs
Yet scarcely 300 metres further along the cycle path, its width is now reduced to less than 1 metre. Overhanging branches and weed growth are to blame (the weeds are actually now breaking up the bitmac surface) ..
A relatively easy issue to deal with but, despite reports to the Council, no work has been undertaken.
Cycle track obstructed.
Better news further down Tadcaster Road with highway resurfacing works now ahead of schedule. The smoother carriageway surface is much safer for users of 2 wheeled transport.
Tadcaster Road resurfacing due to be completed by 12th June
More bad news on refuse collection in York. There are delays in collecting recycling, emptying green bins and removing some household waste across significant parts of the City
Some recycling has been out on the streets for 3 days now.
The Council says that it will work through today and tomorrow (Saturday) to clear the backlog.
The Council has also been urged to provide an update on the capacity and use of its bulky waste removal service which was restarted last week.
Similar information about the availability of “booking slots” at household waste sites like Hazel Court might help to reduce demands on the collection service.
The Council has said,
Household waste
“We were unable to collect household waste from small areas of Haxby, Wigginton and Strensall.
This household waste will be collected on Friday 29 May. Please present your containers for collection by 7.00am.
Recycling
We were unable to collect recycling from Rufforth, Clifton and Huntington due to operational restrictions to do with Covid-19.
We’ve been unable to return for recycling collections from Tuesday 26 May and Wednesday 27 May.
All this recycling waste will be collected on Friday 29 May or Saturday 30 May. Please present your containers for collection by 7.00am.
Garden Waste
We were unable to collect garden waste from from Haxby, Earswick and Huntington due to the large amounts being collected.
This garden waste will be collected on Friday 29 May. Please present your containers for collection by 7.00am.
We’ve been unable to return to St Aldred’s Mews due to access issues and will return as soon as we are able. We’ve also been unable to return for garden waste collections from Wednesday 27 May. We’re returning for this waste in Acomb and Heworth on Thursday evening”
It seems that more and more paths are being impeded by overgrown hedges and trees. By and large, they are public landscaping hedges which have not been trimmed back for some time (They should have been done during the winter months).
There are particular problems at Clifton Moor (as we have reported previously). The whole estate really needs to be checked for issues before all the local stores and businesses reopen.
UPDATE – Just as we published we got the following response from SUSTRANs
Yes, we are aware of the problem with this path either side of the York / Selby boundary and at time of heightened usage of all of our traffic-free routes around York due to the coronavirus lockdown.
We’ve done some initial estimating of cost for the whole section that needs resurfacing, which comes to £446,000 approx. – a sum that Sustrans on its own cannot afford as I’m pleased to see you recognise
However, Selby DC (copied in) also have this on their radar and have indicated a strong willingness to work with ourselves and City of York to find the necessary funding.
I’m in discussion with land management / estates colleagues within Sustrans to identify how much we may be able to contribute, and therefore how much is needed from LA partners / other funding sources.
The fact you’ve now raised this with relevant City of York councillor’s is very helpful. We’ll continue to bring all parties together to come up a with funding package that can deliver the necessary improvement as soon as possible.
We’ve suggested to SUSTRANs that they launch a crowd funding appeal to raise money for resurfacing parts of the York – Selby cycle path.
The path is very uneven in places as a result of tree root damage. At one location, the roots have now broken through the bitmac surfacing increasing the hazards for cyclists and walkers.
Roots are now breaking through cycle track
SUSTRANS describe themselves as the custodians of thenational cycle network. It is possible to make a donation towards their work via their web page but we think that a more focused campaign is needed if the York cycle path is to be properly funded.
The path has been heavily used during the health crisis with large number taking the opportunity to take some exercise in what is a relatively safe space. Many young children are getting their first taste of cycling on the track. It is the latter group for whom the surface represents a particular hazard.
SUSTRANs have yet to respond but we have had a prompt reply from Cllr John Galvin who represents that Bishopthorpe ward, in which part of the track is located. He has pledged his support for the appeal.
Any work would need to incorporate the use of root shields to ensure that any new surface continues to be useable for the foreseeable future.
Uneven path surfaces deter use
Many of the problems occur in the section between Naburn and Riccall. We hope that the Government and local Councils will back the SUSTRANs charity if they launch a crowdfunding appeal.
Hopefully some donations will come from the hundreds of new users who are currently enjoying the facility.
NB. It appears that no application was made for support from the York Council’s £500,000 cycling budget which was delegated to be spent by local ward Councillors.
The York Council is struggling ot deal with the volume of recycling and green waste being presented. In some areas this has been on the streets for over 48 hours. Household waste collection was up to date as of the end of work yesterday (Wednesday).
We think it is time for them to give more details of the issues that they face, the remedies being applied and the likely date when collections are expected to return to normal.
This is the update that they published today.
Latest waste service update – Wednesday 28 May
All household waste has been collected as scheduled.
We were also able to collect all outstanding household waste from Tuesday 26 May.
We were unable to collect recycling from a number of properties in the following areas due to operating under coronavirus restrictions:
Earswick
Heworth
Heworth Without
Hull Road
We were unable to collect all outstanding recycling waste from Tuesday 26 May.
Missed recycling collections from 26 and 27 May will now be collected on Thursday 28 May. Please present your containers for collection by 7.00am.
We were unable to collect garden waste from a number of streets in the following areas due to capacity issues:
Acomb
Heworth
Heworth Without
Stockton-on-Forest
We will attempt to collect missed garden waste by Thursday 28 May, but may not be able to revisit until later in the week. Please leave greens bin out and we’ll get to you as soon as we can.
We were able to collect all outstanding garden waste from Tuesday 26 May.
It looks like Minster FM – York’s local commercial radio station – may be replaced by a national feed from something called “Greatest Hits Radio”.
Leaving aside whether the nation might now have a surfeit of popular music channels, such a move would be bad news for the City if it were to lose such an important source of independent local news.
The Minster FM team, more than any other local broadcast, newspaper or digital channels, has been supportive of community groups. That support and publicity would be badly missed.
The coronavirus scare has been problematic for all media businesses which are reliant on advertising income. We suspect that there may be more bad news in the pipeline.
Even the non advertising dependent BBC is not without its problems. The Cummings plan to change the way that license fee income is generated is the most obvious.
If the “Greatest Hits Radio” plan is just to pad out the 24/7 coverage with some periods of nationally sourced music, then so be it.
But the local news, and the stations business/community support work, needs to be sustained in some way.
If it isn’t, then there will be pressure to provide a replacement service using a digital channel.
