Travel2Campus initiative to launch in York

City of York Council’s i-Travel York have launched an exciting new Travel2Campus campaign in partnership with the national sustainable travel charity Sustrans.

Travel2Campus aims to encourage the city’s students and staff to make healthier, cheaper and more enjoyable travel choices for their everyday journeys.

Advisors have been on hand at Freshers’ fairs throughout the city to give students who are new to York advice on travelling around the city. This will include free bike loans and try-outs, bus maps, travel route planning and guidance on safe travel in and around York

Cllr Ian Gillies, Executive member for Transport and Planning, said: “University and higher education can quite often be the first time young people have been away from home for an extended period of time. Therefore it is a great time to get into the habit of using York’s sustainable travel network, whether that is walking, cycling, public transport or car sharing.”

Alice Thatcher, Sustrans Project Officer for the Travel2Campus project said: ‘’We are delivering a series of exciting activities over the next 6 months to all students and staff of the universities and colleges. We will be running social walks and rides which showcase the best routes to campus and around the city, we will be running a series of travel safety campaigns including Light Up and Be Seen and Lock it or Lose it, and we will be skilling up students in bike maintenance and ride leading. It’s all free and available to all students in York! For more info, please follow us on Twitter and Facebook.’’

There will also be chance for students to volunteer to become a Travel2Campus Champion, where they will support with project delivery across York through attending events, social walks and rides. Ride Leader and Bike Maintenance training will be provided.

Travel2Campus will concentrate on York’s Higher and Further Education organisations, including the University of York, York St John University, York College and Askham Bryan College.

The campaign is funded by Local Sustainable Transport Fund money secured by the council’s i-Travel programme for use in 2015/16 will be delivered by Sustrans.

You can follow the project on Facebook: Travel2Campus York and Twitter: @travel2campus or visit: www.itravelyork.info

First York announce bus service changes

Number 4 to loop through Skeldergate – direct link between Acomb and York University broken

First buses have responded to complaints about unreliability and lack of capacity on some bus services.

click to enlarge

A major change to the number 4 – the best used bus service in the City – means that it will no longer travel to the University. Instead it will loop through Skeldergate and over Skeldergate Bridge to reach its new terminus on Clifford Street. There are frequent buses from there to the University.

The last change to the route of the number 4 -which took the service on a meandering journey through Tang Hall before reaching Heslington – was heavily criticised by passengers. On occasions 3 or 4 buses would arrive in Acomb in convoy. We hope that the new service – which retains a 10 minute frequency during the day – will prove to more reliable when it is introduced on 22^nd November. The Sunday frequency will be 20 minutes while buses will continue to run every 30 minutes in the evening.

Some minor timetable changes are promised on the number 1 service which links Chapelfields to Wigginton. A twelve minute frequency is promised at peak times between Monday and Friday.

Other changes affect service 6 (which gets a direct link to York University) and service 10 which will run via Battlefields Way, while an additional morning service will be provided between Dunnington and York College on Tadcaster Road, with an early morning service between Bishopthorpe and the railway station also being introduced.

30% increase in serious road traffic accidents in York

The numbers killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents in York increased from 58 to 75 last year.

Figures obtained using Freedom of Information legislation reveal that accident rates in York increased significantly in 2014.

All types of road user were affected including pedestrians and cyclists.

The increase was the largest since the “95Alive” task group was set up 10 years ago to counter a peak in road causalities.

The increase is bound to reopen the debate about wide area 20 mph speed limits. One of the claimed objectives of that project – launched in 2013 – was to reduce accidents. Opponents warned that the consequences could be that police enforcement time was reduced at accident black spots and that the deterrent affect, of focusing lower speed limits at key sites like schools and shopping areas, would be lost.

It appears that these concerns were justified.

Up to 2011, the Council’s Executive member used to receive a regular public report on road traffic accidents. The reports included details of the type of accident and the location. Officials made recommendations about possible remedial works (road alignment, signage, speed enforcement etc) which might avoid accidents in the future. This approach was abandoned by the last Council when it fell under Labour control.

It is time for a targeted approach to accident reduction – covering the activities of all agencies – to be reintroduced

Heslington Lane parking plans approved

Plans to tackle parking ‘chaos’ on Heslington Lane were formally approved tonight following a long-running campaign by Liberal Democrat Councillor Keith Aspden.

Problems have occurred after parking opposite Fulford Golf Club means cars and bikes are having to manoeuvre around a line of vehicles into oncoming traffic. Residents say the situation has been putting people in danger. Cllr Aspden organised a petition on the issue earlier this year which was eventually signed by nearly 600 people.

His campaign led council officers to bring forward proposals to install double-yellow lines along parts of Heslington Lane and Broadway. The plan was backed by residents during a consultation over the summer and was formally approved tonight by the Executive Member for Transport and Planning.

The University of York is earmarked to fund the proposals which will cost £2,000-£3,000 and work is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
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University Road safety improvements

A report outlining proposed additional safety enhancements to University Road will go to the Decision Session for the Executive Member for Transport and Planning on 10 September.

The proposals include adding two extra pairs of speed cushions to further help enforce the local 20mph speed limit in the area. The limit was introduced in the first phase to help increase pedestrian safety when crossing the road. It is also proposed that a central crossing point is added to the existing speed table near to the bus stop to make it easier and safer for pedestrians to cross the road.

These amendments follow on from the original scheme of work that was carried out in the autumn of 2014 which saw improvements to bus stops, a 20mph zone introduced and the construction of a shared use pedestrian and cycle path.

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York bus service reliability wobbles as York Council set to spend £7 million on transport

Hitherto reliable bus services like the number 4, which links Acomb to the City centre and the University beyond, have suffered a loss of reliability during recent days.

The problems seem to have arisen since the changes to the timetables were introduced last month.

Checks – taken in the mid afternoon this week when congestion shouldn’t be a major issue – suggest that only about 40% of buses are now arriving on time*

This compares to an 80% reliability rate in the City reported in the lastest DpT “snapshot” survey recorded on their website.

First, and some other bus companies refuse, to release reliability figures although commendably Transdev – who now run the 44 link down Hamilton Drive – say they will release service reliability figures. This would bring them into line with train operating companies who release reliability figures each month.

They also operate a “mystery passenger” audit which they use to improve journey quality

The York Council used to check reliability and the quality of bus journeys in the City but this was ditched when Labour took control of the Council in 2011.

Since then they have relied on the computer system which generates “next bus due” information on mobile phone “apps” as well as on the signs at some bus stops. The contract for renewal of the service is currently being let. However the historic reliability information generated by a sub set of the system – cannot be released by the Council without the agreement of participating bus companies.

The York Council, will shortly agree how to spend around £7 million this year on improvements to the transport system in York.

Of this £1.6 million will be spent on public transport improvements.

£104,390 will go on “off bus ticket machines” which will be funded by West Yorkshire CA.

There is little in the programme for improvements to sub-urban bus stops. We continue to believe that busy suburban stops like Foxwood Lane should have a “next bus due” screen.

That would be doubly important if buses continue to run up to 30 minutes late.

*Up to 5 minutes after scheduled time or 1 minute before.

Road works on A1237 and in Copmanthorpe from next Monday

From Monday 7th September City of York Council will undertake routine maintenance work on the whole of the A1237 outer ring road.

The work will take place between 8pm – 6am, to minimise disruption to residents any work close to housing will be carried out before 11pm.

The work will include hedge cutting and road gully / channel clearance to help improve visibility, redefine carriageway boundaries and resolve flooding problems.

Work will start at Hopgrove roundabout and progress anti-clockwise along the A1237. The work is scheduled to be completed by Saturday 3 October. Traffic lights will be used when work is taking place to ensure the safety of operatives.

As with any maintenance work on roads, there is likely to be a certain amount of disruption. Residents are 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.

For travel information in and around York visit www.itravelyork.info

The work will aim to reduce the amount of ‘overshoot’ accidents where drivers on Hallcroft Lane may not realise they are approaching a crossroad junction and fail to give way to traffic on Manor Heath. This has lead to a number of serious incidents at the junction.

The work will see the Hallcroft Lane section of the junction widened to allow a pedestrian island to be included. Coloured surfacing will also be used to help road users differentiate between the major and minor roads. Signage in the area will also be improved.

The work is scheduled to take three weeks to complete, with work starting on Monday 7 September. Work will take place Monday to Friday between 8.30am – 4.30pm during the first two weeks. Traffic will be managed by stop/go signals with no alterations to the bus service. This will be carried out by City of York Council.

During the third week whilst resurfacing is taking place a temporary full road closure will be in place on Hallcroft Lane from the Horseman Lane junction to the Manor Heath junction. The road will be closed between 9:15am and 4:15pm. An alternative route for diverted traffic will be signed via Horseman Lane, School Lane, Manor Heath.

Additionally to carry out the surfacing work at the junction of Manor Heath / Hallcroft Lane and Hagg Lane a temporary full road closure will be in place at the junction between 6:00pm and midnight on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 September. An alternative route for diverted traffic will be signed.
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Tiger spotted on Jockey Lane

A report outlining proposed safety improvements for both pedestrians and cyclists using Jockey Lane will go to the Decision Session for the Executive Member for Transport and Planning on 10 September.

The proposals include the installation of York’s first “Tiger” pedestrian and cyclist crossing

Tiger cycle and pedestrian crossing. click to access

The report outlines proposals to widen the existing footway allowing the creation of a missing section of shared use pathway between Forge Close on the south side and the delivery access to Sainsbury’s on the north side.

It is also proposed that either a Toucan crossing or Zebra crossing is installed near to the delivery access of Sainsbury’s and Huntington House. If a Zebra crossing is installed this could then be changed to a Tiger Crossing when new legislation comes in to place. This would allow cyclists to also use the crossing without dismounting and would further help to link the two sections of off-road cycle path. The bus stops in the area will also be relocated away from the crossing to further improve safety.

It is also recommended that if a Zebra crossing is chosen that the saving is used to help fund the resurfacing of Jockey Lane from Kathryn Avenue to New Lane. This is based on a view that the whole road condition needs to be improved and there would be an economy of scale in the surfacing contractor being commissioned to do more work.

Cllr Ian Gillies, Executive Member for Transport and Planning, said: “It is important that we work to link up sections of the existing pedestrian and cycle network to help encourage sustainable and healthy modes of travel. This helps to offer a real alternative to single occupancy car journeys in and around York.”

After consulting with North Yorkshire Police they are in favour of the changes and highlight that Zebra crossing currently have a lower accident rate than Toucan crossings.

To attend the meeting or to find out more information please visit http://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=738&MId=9028&Ver=4

39 requests for predestrian crossings in York

The York Council has received 39 requests to install additional pedestrian crossings in the City during the last 5 years.

It has, so far, actually provided only 5 additional crossings in response to the requests.

This has prompted calls for a larger proportion of the Councils transport budget to be spent in future on pedestrian safety.

Ring Road improvements falter but York Council set to borrow £24 million

A report to a Council meeting later this week details how an £80 million Council investment programme will be funded.

The Council will again borrow heavily to fund schemes which include:

Borrowing costs click to enlarge

Expansion of Fulford school (£5.8m)
Schools maintenance (£4m)
Older persons accommodation (£0.5m)
Museums plus art gallery gardens (0.85m)
LED street lighting replacement (£1.3m)
Provision of 20 new Council houses (£8.9m) and modernisation (£2.3m)
Local Transport Plan (£4.6m)
Community Stadium (£20.7m of which £6.4m will come from taxpayers)*

*It seems highly unlikely that this money will be spent in the current financial year as the contract is not now expected to be let until the spring.

The Council will invest in better play grounds and more solar powered litter bins.

The programme also includes a (mostly unallocated) £15m sum in the “economic investment fund”. This is understood still to include major contributions towards a bridge into the York Central site and funding for a Digital Media Centre.

A1237 northern by pass improvements delayed?

The 5 year rolling programme – which includes projects which are both directly and indirectly funded – does not identify any money for improvements to the northern by pass.

The West Yorkshire “Combined Authority” agreed last November to include a £37.6m allocation in their forward programme for the project.

Following the announcement by the government of an allocation of £1 billion for the “West Yorkshire Plus Transport fund”, the York Council was asked to commit £500,000 a year in its revenue budget to progress the ring road project.

The expectation was that the £37 million investment would be used to upgrade those roundabouts – such as the one on the Haxby Road – which currently cause bottlenecks on the A1237.

According to the Combined Authorities programme formal approval for improvements at the first junction was due to be given this month (August) with a start on site in March 2016.

No explanation for the delays has been provided in the report to York Councillors.

The government funding allocation must be used by 2021.

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