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New traffic restrictions set for Coppergate – a chance to object as spy cameras set to return to York.

A new Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to create a bus lane for Coppergate will be advertised this week allowing people to see the technical traffic regulations for the new restrictions. The TRO is a statutory public notice which allows people to comment on the technical Order.

New restrictions – enforced by spy cameras – were introduced in 2013 by the then Labour controlled Council – prompting 2 years of controversy and, eventually, leading to a climb down by the Local Authority when it was told it had acted unlawfully.

Traffic restrictions have been in place on Coppergate since the 1960s. The council’s Executive has approved the reintroduction of automatic number plate recognition cameras (ANPR) to enforce the restrictions.

The draft Traffic Regulation Order provides the details of the restrictions to be in place every day from 8am and 6pm.

Within the 8am to 6pm period the restrictions for motor vehicles will be:

· 8am to 10am buses, taxis and private hire vehicles only
· 10am to 4pm buses, taxis, private hire vehicles and loading only
· 4pm to 6pm buses, taxis and private hire vehicles only

Due to the prominent location of Coppergate the formal legal consultation has been extended from the required three weeks to a six week period. The formal legal notice will be printed in local media, displayed on notices in the Coppergate area and sent to all properties on Coppergate. Anyone wishing to view the draft order and statement of reasons can do so at the council’s West Offices or online at www.york.gov.uk/coppergate
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Flooding update – More roads reopen, river level gauges repaired

. The Ouse is currently 4.7 metres above normal levels and gradually falling from the peak of 5.2 metres seen on Sunday.

click to update

River levels are expected to remain very high over the next few days.

The Foss Barrier has been repaired & lowered. 4 of the 8 pumps are now operating. This should be good news for the Huntington Road/Walmgate areas

View the Environment Agency’s map showing current flood warnings for the York area.

Most bus routes are being diverted, with severe delays to be expected.

Bus services 29th Dec 2015

Traffic signals have failed at several junctions, including Walmgate Bar and New Lane/Malton Rd. Please proceed with caution where traffic signals are not functional.

The following main roads are currently closed:

Fulford area

A19 Fulford Rd/Selby Rd
Fordlands Road

Inner Ring Road area

Foss Islands Road
Tower Street
Layerthorpe
Navigation Road

City Centre

Piccadilly
Merchantgate
St Denys’ Rd
Skeldergate
Fossgate
Walmgate

Huntington Road area

Huntington Road (Monkgate to Haley’s Terrace)
Lowther St (no exit at Huntington Rd end)

Tang Hall area

Tang Hall Lane at Walney Rd (alternative route via Fourth Ave and Melrosegate is passable)
Bad Bargain Lane
Hempland Lane / junction of Burnholme Drive

Bishopthorpe area

Bishopthorpe Road (at Crematorium)

Roads which have now reopened:

Haxby Road is now clear through to the city centre.
Huntington Road is clear between A1237 and the Link Road. Closed in bound of this – Haleys Terrace to Monkgate.
Heworth Green to Monkgate route is clear in both directions at Monkgate roundabout (Flood water on outbound side but passable)
Foss Bank and Layerthorpe/Foss Islands Rd junction is closed.
A19, Clifton Green, Water End and Water Lane clear.
Fishergate gyratory is open as yesterday.
Monks Cross Link
Melrosegate
Stonebow
Peasholme Green

Please do not take any unneccessary risks and only travel if absolutely necessary.

The Environment Agency is working to top up the low spots in the River Ouse’s defences at Marygate, North Street Gardens and Lower Ebor Street. It is expected that the defences will withstand the predicted river levels and there is not thought to be risk to people or properties behind the defences.

Work is ongoing to identify any vulnerable individuals or groups who would need notifying if the forecast changes.

York Dial and Ride fleet extended to serve Monks Cross, John Lewis etc

York’s Dial & Ride service has been expanded thanks to a new bus which gives passengers more opportunities to travel to Vangarde and Monks Cross shopping parks.

Over 15,000 journeys were made last year on Dial & Ride buses by residents who may find it difficult to use standard buses due to age or mobility issues. The new bus, with full wheelchair accessibility, will allow even more residents to get out and about thanks to the personalised service that it provides. Dial & Ride drivers are trained to give assistance to passengers tailored to their needs.

Cllr Ian Gillies, Executive Member for Transport and Planning, said: “Dial & Ride allows residents who may not be able to use standard bus services the opportunity to move in and around the city easily. The addition of an extra vehicle will allow even more people the chance to use this fantastic service.”

The new bus has been funded by the Oakgate Group, developers of the Vangarde Shopping Park

York’s Dial & Ride is operated by York Wheels on behalf of City of York Council. York Wheels’ operations manager, Ruth Potter said: “We are all really pleased to have the new bus. The extra capacity means that we can now offer runs to all the shops at Vangarde. Our new timetable also has a run to a shopping outlet or into town every day in every Ward in the City and we have also increased the choice of destinations for many wards.”

Dial & Ride places are limited and must be booked at least 24 hours in advance by calling 01904 551441. Lines are open 9am – 12 noon, Monday to Friday. Bookings can be made up to two weeks in advance.

For more information on Dial & Ride services call 01904 551441, email dial&ride@york.gov.uk or visit www.itravelyork.info/dial-and-ride

Behind closed doors York Council decision rules out new parking curbs near Gale Lane/Front Street junction

Dozens of traffic and parking decisions affecting whole City taken at secret session

Gale Lane Front Street click to enlarge

The Council has published a report reviewing parking arrangements near the Gale Lane/Front Street junction.

The report follows complaints about obstructions being caused to traffic generally, and bus services in particular, by vehicles parking on the carriageway and adjacent footpaths. Some of the problems were apparently being caused by delivery vans visiting the Gale Farm surgery.

The request for action were turned down at a secret meeting with the reports only being published publicly after decisions had already been taken.

Sadly this continues the practice of preventing residents from making representations, before decisions are taken, started in 2011. Despite public claims from the Council Leadership about their commitment to open government, this practise has still not been changed.

There is really no reason why agendas and reports can’t be published at least a week before a meeting takes place. This would give affected residents an opportunity to write to the Council giving their views, if they chose to.

Changes to traffic arrangements in every ward in the City were considered by the same meeting (and not pre publicised).

Click the links below for details
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Marygate car park income plummets by £114,000

Freedom of Information (FOI) response confirms that the former Labour Council did not record number of faults reported on the barrier equipment

Marygate car park

An FOI response has confirmed what many feared. The introduction of barrier controls at the Marygate car park has seen the number of drivers paying to park there reduce, resulting in a substantial fall in income.

The income received by the Council in the 12 months since the barriers were installed has been £556,442,
In the equivalent period, before the barriers replaced “pay and display”, income had been £672,547.

In the past the Council has used surplus income from parking to invest in the maintenance of highways infrastructure. If that income is no longer available then transport subsidies – for services as wide ranging as off peak bus services, car park maintenance and road repairs – will have to come direct from taxpayers.

In turn, this is likely to lead to a further fall in the funding available for other essential services.

The last Council was also criticised for selling off the Haymarket car park for a fraction of its real value. This move lost the Council another £200,000 a year in car parking income.

The reduced use of City centre car parks has, of course, been influenced by other factors. Charges have almost doubled during the last 4 years while successful additional park and ride facilities have been provided at Poppleton and Askham Bar.

But the failure of the Council to accept that the barrier system adopted or Marygate involved major reliability risks is a contributory factor.

It has also been revealed that the last Labour run Council did not record the number of faults reported on the Marygate equipment. Usually the barriers would “fail” in the open position effectively allowing free parking so it is perhaps not surprising that the Council has not received any compensation claims for mechanical failures.

Since May there have been seven occasions where barrier failures have occurred at Marygate.

In the same period a further seven faults have developed on the ticket issuing machines.

The Council has not retained records of how long it took to fix each fault. It does however say that the costs of repairs were covered by the suppliers warranty with “approximately £300 spent on spare parts”.

The change to barrier control was part of a trial aimed at removing the pressure on visitors to return to their cars before their “pay and display” ticket expired. However the introduction of “pay by text” effectively addressed this issue as drivers are now able to buy additional parking time remotely using their smart phones.

The £100,000 cost of making the change now looks to have been a major folly with the number of occupied parking spaces having actually fallen.

Bigger Sky Ride for York on 13th September

The York Council has announced that on Sunday 13 September 2015 Sky Ride York will take to the city’s historic streets in partnership with British Cycling.

Due to the size and scale of the event there will be a number of temporary traffic and transport changes to ensure the safety of everyone taking part.

To view the 2015 Sky Ride York route go to www.goskyride.com/Yorkskyride

The Route

The traffic free route has been extended for 2015 to allow residents and visitors to see more of York whilst taking in some of the city’s most historic landmarks such as Clifford’s Tower and The Minster.

The 7km route starts at Clifford’s Tower and will see cyclists head up Castlegate and Coppergate before joining onto Pavement and passing York’s most famous street, The Shambles.

Riders will then turn left onto Colliergate and briefly see King’s Square before turning right onto St Andrewgate. They will then head onto Aldwark, Goodramgate, and Deansgate when York Minster will come into view. Riders will then head across the Minster Piazza and onto Duncombe Place before passing over Lendal Bridge onto Leeman Road.

The route will then see cyclists turn right past Memorial Gardens and along Wellington Row, Skeldergate and Terry Avenue where they will follow the Ouse until Rowntree Park.

Cyclists will then head along Butcher Terrace and turn left onto Bishopthorpe Road before turning left on the cycle path to bring them back down to the river and over Millennium Bridge. They will then follow the riverside cycle path back to Clifford’s Tower.

Traffic and Travel

The Sky Ride York route will be closed to all traffic from 10.30am until approximately 5pm, or as soon as possible after the event has finished to ensure the safety of everyone taking part. The inner ring road will be closed at Lendal Bridge for general traffic for the duration of the ride.

Residents and visitors are urged to make use of the city’s extensive Park&Ride network on the day, particularly by using the Park&Pedal facilities at any of York’s six Park&Ride sites.
Bus travel

Bus routes will be altered to ensure that access into and out of the city centre is maintained, whilst avoiding those roads closed as part of the route. Revised timetables will be put into place to ensure the smooth running of bus services. Residents and visitors are being encouraged to check their travel plans in advance and allow extra time for their journeys on the day. A complete list of bus route diversions will be available to download from: http://www.itravelyork.info/events/sky-ride-york-2015

Car Parks

Castle car park will continue to be open on the day, however there will be reduced capacity to allow for one of the Sky Ride ‘activation zones’ featuring activities for residents and visitors to enjoy. A traffic management stop/go process will be in place here to assist the smooth flow of traffic. Esplanande car park will also be open and will have a traffic management stop/go system in place. St George’s Field car park will be open but will have a reduced amount of spaces during the day.

Rowntree Park car park will be closed on both Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September due to the Festival of Cycling taking place, as in previous years. For safety reasons there will be no access to parking inside the route.

For more information on Sky Ride York, or to register for the ride visit www.goskyride.com/York

More to be spent on road repairs and cleaning up York

No green bin emptying charges

The new Coalition Executive in York has announced some changes to the budget that it inherited from Labour.

Incoming

Scrapping plans to charge for green bin emptying or reduce grey bin emptying frequencies
Andrew Waller successfully opposed more green bin charges
Two extra green bin empties during winter
£250,000 a year investment in highway maintenance
More for street sweeping
More for salting roads and footpaths in winter.
More transparent decision making
Improved customer interfaces
Restoring the cuts to Community Centre funding
Encouraging local small business to tender for Council contracts
Increased support for local and rural bus services
New Ward committee budgets which will be spent in line with local residents wishes

Outgoing:

Arts barge

Funding for an “Arts Barge”
The use of expensive “consultants”
Subsidies for Trades Unions
The trial bus service between the railway station and the hospital
Funding for political propaganda

The papers published today for a Council meeting taking place on 16^th July also promise a review of the Housing Revenue Account. This is the expenditure paid from from Council house rents. A “review” falls some way short of the expected commitment to undertake a major clean up and regeneration of the City’s Council estates, which is urgently required.

Also missing is any proposal to regenerate sub-urban shopping areas like Front Street.

Overall though the proposals are step in the right direction.

The Council will also need to get a grip on its capital expenditure (and resultant interest payments) while keeping something in reserve to address the underlying failings of the budget passed in March – which looks increasingly fragile.

Full details of the budget changes can be found by clicking here

The way we are in 2015

Jan 2015— a refurbished York Explore library reopened. There are delays in dealing with patients at York A & E. Labour Councillors pull back from scrapping subsidised bus services . Relations between the York Council and the Knights Rugby Club break down. The Local Plan hits the political buffers as Labour refused to remove a reneged Tory Councillor from a key committee. Cllr Joe Watt had praised Labours plans to build in the Green Belt. An independent report found the York Council to be dysfunctional. Relationships between Councillors hit an all time low. The builders for the new Community Stadium was announced. They promptly let the cat out of the bag by giving a completion date of autumn 2016 (6 months after the start of the football season). The Green’s backed Labours £9.2 million plan to turn the Guildhall into a “media centre”

Feb 2015— Official figures confirm that some Labour Councillors misled residents about the need for housing growth in the City. The Councils Labour leadership announce borrowing plans which will involve paying an extra £1 million a year in interest charges. Cuts in street lighting leave many parts of the City in darkness. There is a big drop in car parking income for the Council. A plan to establish a “traffic congestion commission” is shelved. Labour finally abandons the plan to establish an elderly care village at Lowfields.

March 2015— Proposals for a £35 a year green bin emptying charge are announced. Council Tax levels are frozen for the first time in 3 years. There is a call for bus and taxi fares to be reduced in the wake of a fall in petrol prices. Acceptance of a £3.2 million top tender for the purchase of the Council’s empty Oliver House building is shelved for 3 months. Candidates for the Council election s on May 7^th are announced. A petition is launched to stop plans to charge for green bin emptying and to reduce grey bin emptying frequencies to 3 weekly. The planning application for the Community Stadium is referred to the Secretary of State for determination. As forecast no decision now seems likely before June.

April 2015— Some bizarre claims are made by election candidates who wish to appear “local” More details of the Lowfields care village fiasco slip out. The project costs taxpayers over £350,000. Questions are raised about some election candidates vested interests. Council scrap plan to modernise the Gale Farm Court elderly person’s accommodation. Council stop rubbish skip visits to several York estates. The Council loses its appeal over the issue of unlawful fines on Coppergate.Refunds are likely to be ordered

May 2015— A General Election and Council elections take place on the same day in York.

May 8th—A new dawn/last one out of the City please switch off the lights*

*Delete as appropriate

Westfield Focus

That was the year that was 2014

Jan 2014— Demolition work starts at the former Beckfield Lane tip site. It was to become a housing development. A huge increase in car parking charges is announced

Feb 2014— Another increase in Council Tax was implemented with a government freeze subsidy snubbed for the second year running. York was to get another lap dancing club. Lack of openness in the Councils approach to public sector appointments was criticised. The Council continued to refuse to publish bus reliability information. £300,000 asking price for a flat in Rougier Street above a bus shelter (it was never built). Waterworld ran into financial difficulties (it was to close later in the year)

March 2014— The (free) Minster parking badge was to be scrapped. A spy camera van would be used to enforce parking restrictions. The Council spent £238,000 on poles for 20 mph signs. £1.6 million was to be spent remodelling Newgate market

April 2014— Lendal Bridge/Coppergate fine income tops £2 million. An adjudicator rules that the fines are unlawful. Labour are forced to switch off the ANPR cameras. The Council releases details of more Green Belt land that they wanted to develop but abandon traveller site proposals

May 2014— Councillors start to desert York Council Labour Group. Controversy looms over Tour de France campsite and “Grand Departy” arrangements.

June 2014— Electric buses arrived in York, four years after initial trials. Labour blocked a Public Inquiry into the Lendal Bridge fiasco. York Social Services decline into financial chaos.

July 2014— Marygate car park got a barrier at a cost of £100,000. Recycling rates are down in York. The Lowfields Care village project falters. The Grand Departy concert is a disaster costing taxpayers £187,000. A two year delay in the Community Stadium project was confirmed.

August 2014— There are continuing delays in bringing the new Poppleton park and ride site into operation. Local Westfield Councillor Lynn Jeffries passes away.

September 2014— York Council labelled a “Rotten Borough” by Private Eye. New gypsy and showman’s sites revealed. The Council is spending £30,000 a year maintaining the empty Oliver House EPH (it is still empty despite an offer of over £3million for the building).

October 2014— “Big City or Our City” Council abandon Local Plan. Yearsley swimming pool threatened. Council leaders force charity workers resignation and 2 more Labour Councillors quit party. LibDem Andrew Waller wins Westfield by election with huge majority.

November 2014— The new balanced Council decides to save the Castlegate youth centre from closure. An extra garden waste collection agreed. Future of Guildhall still in doubt (later Labour agree to spend £9.2 million turning it into a media centre). James Alexander resigns as Council Leader.

December 2014— Fears for subsidised bus services grow. Yearsley pool reprieved. Boyes will open a new store in Front Street. Now a Tory Councillor quits his group on the Council after anti Green Belt comments.

Westfield Focus in 2014

The way we were

York Council to spend £5.8 million on transport improvements over next 12 months

No ring road improvements scheduled. Little being spent on reducing congestion

The Councils transport investment programme has been published. As usual the devil will be in the detail and the programme could be scrapped if there are major changes in the make-up of the Council at the May 7^th polls.

Bus Services

Around £775,000 is to be spent on improvements to bus services. £250,000 of this will go on the delays Rougier Street bus shelter while £200,000 will address “pinch point improvements”. Once again sub-urban areas fare badly in the allocations (separately on the agenda for the same meeting a £20,000 plan to improve facilities in Rawcliffe is recommended for rejection)

Traffic congestion

Proposed extra lane for A19 pinch point

£2 million is being spent easing the “pinch point” on the A19 near the Designer Outlet. Much less is being spent elsewhere in the £2.4 million budget although the modernisation of variable message boards – which have been increasingly unreliable – is welcome.

Cycling/Pedestrian schemes

£468,000 is being spent on a range of small schemes. The biggest is the provision of a cycle link at Scarborough Bridge. This is mostly being covered by central government grant.

Road Safety

Wetherby Road VAS

This is only being allocated £450,000 in the programme which is still driven by Labour priorities. School safety schemes, school crossing warning signs, “speed management” and the renewal of the vehicle activated signs (VAS), like those on Wetherby Road and Green Lane, will all get a boost.

Money is also asset aside to develop future improvements and to continue maintenance of the City Walls. The alleygating programme will also continue.

No expenditure on improvements to the northern by pass is expected over the next 12 months despite promises from the Labour Council leadership that this was now one of their priorities.

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