Have your say on improvement plans at Bootham Bar

Bootham bar photographed with the junction and traffic lights at red. Two people walk across the pedestrian junction. — *Bootham Bar junction*

City of York Council wants to hear what residents and businesses think of a new scheme improve pedestrian access at one of the busiest junctions in the city centre.

Works will take place later this year on the Gillygate, Bootham and St Leonard’s junction, which is all part of the Traffic Signal Asset Renewal (TSAR) Project.

The TSAR project involves installing new signalling equipment and ducting, but also provides an opportunity to consider different options that could enhance the whole area for pedestrians and cyclists.

Two possible designs have been prepared, both would replace all the signals and increase the width of space for pedestrians waiting to cross Gillygate.

Option ‘A’ is the simplest design with little change to the existing layout while option ‘B’ would provide more pedestrian space and improve the historic setting of the area.

It would also allow for an ‘all green’ pedestrian phase across all arms of the junction, with no need to wait half way across when crossing from the Art Gallery to Bootham Bar and a less traffic dominated area.

However, the removal of the left turn lane from St Leonard’s Place to Bootham, and the changed signal phasing, would increase traffic delays and queues at peak times, with potential impact on air quality in Gillygate and Bootham.

Tell us what you think

Views are being sought on which design residents and businesses prefer and why, between Monday 1 March until Wednesday 31 March, and can be submitted, by:

Completing the short online survey
Emailing views to: TSAR@york.gov.uk
Writing to: TSAR Programme, Transport Systems, Corporate Directorate of Economy and Place, West Offices, York, YO1 6GA.

In addition to the above, over 650 properties in the immediate vicinity of the junction will be sent details of the consultation and offered assistance if they cannot view the design options online.

Traffic signals to be upgraded on Holgate road junction

Works will start on Monday 24 February and are expected to be fully completed by Thursday 12 March, working between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday and 8am and 4pm at weekends.

The scheme at the junction will include replacing outdated traffic (pedestrian crossing) signals with new, more reliable ones and installing a new puffin style pedestrian crossing.

The five year traffic signal asset renewal programme was given the green light by the council in November 2015 at a public meeting.

The total replacement programme will cost £2.620m over six years and will be funded through the capital programme budget and the existing Local Transport Plan budget.

Residents are urged to plan ahead, allow more time for their journeys on these routes and to consider alternatives and to use public transport where possible.

To allow for the works to be undertaken safely it will be necessary to close a lane and operate temporary traffic signals during part of the work. This also means that Watson Street will be under signal control also.

A controlled crossing will be provided during construction to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely.

Pedestrian routes and access to all businesses and properties will be retained throughout the duration of the works. It will be necessary to temporarily close footways in the works area at certain times during the works and footway diversion routes will be put in place.

Although every attempt will be made to keep delays to a minimum, motorists are expected to experience delays while the works are underway Those using the junction are urged to plan ahead, allow more time for journeys on these routes and to consider alternatives and to use public transport where possible.

For any enquiries regarding these works please email: tsar@york.gov.uk

Traffic signals to be upgraded on Coppergate- road closure from Monday

Coppergate

Ageing traffic signals on Coppergate are set to be replaced by City of York Council from Monday 17 July.

Work is expected to be completed by Friday 28 July. To minimise disruption to residents and visitors work will take place from 7.30am-11pm, seven days a week.

To allow work to take place safely a full road closure will be in place. Pedestrian routes and access to all businesses will be maintained throughout the works. A fully signed diversion route will also be in place.

The work will include a full overhaul of the traffic signal equipment, including changes to the pedestrian crossing equipment to facilitate puffin style near side red and green man displays. There will also be carriageway and footway maintenance works to the raised table at the crossing.

As with any construction work, 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 buses that normally use this street will be diverted and motorists should expect some delays and plan their journey accordingly.
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New Puffin crossing planned for Tadcaster Road/St Helens Road junction

As part of a plan to upgrade the traffic signals at the St Helens Road junction a new Puffin pedestrian crossing facility is to be provided on the north side of the junction.

Full details are contained in this report

The report says,

“The replacement of the existing island has been proposed because the island is too narrow. It falls below minimum design guidance in terms of its overall width and the distance of its guard rails from the carriageway.

The substandard width results in difficulty for pedestrians in using the facility, especially those with prams and wheelchairs.

The substandard distance of the guardrail to the carriageway has resulted in vehicle strikes which in turn creates a maintenance liability.

The addition of a third pedestrian crossing on the north arm of the junction constitutes as ‘easy win’, in that it provides a desirable pedestrian facility without any significant detriment to the functioning of the junction.

There is no significant change to vehicular delays, queues, Practical Reserve Capacity or congestion.

Introduction of an additional pedestrian crossing on the north arm of the junction is a significant improvement for pedestrians as it serves a desire line accessing the inbound bus stop and Cross Keys public house.

The same meeting will also consider changes to traffic signals and junction layouts at George Hudson Street and East Parade in Heworth

York Council starts to upgrade traffic signals as controversial ANPR cameras set to be switched back on.

The Council now says, “Traffic restrictions will come into force on Coppergate from Monday 9 January after being advertised in the immediate area and on all approach roads across the city throughout December and January.

To ensure drivers are aware of the change to the restrictions the Executive, on 13 October 2016, approved the phased implementation of enforcement. Drivers who wrongly enter the street in the first two weeks of the restriction being enforced by the ANPR cameras will be sent a warning letter to inform them of the restriction.

Following this grace period drivers who use the route during the restricted period for the first six months will be issued with a warning letter for the first offence. If further offences occur, and for all offences after the first six months of the restriction, the driver will be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). The number of letters and PCNs issued will be published on the council’s website after three months of operation and updated monthly following then for the first year of enforcement.

At the start of December temporary signs were placed around the city centre and all the approach roads to Coppergate to advise drivers that the Coppergate Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) will come into force on 9 January. In addition to the advance warning signs permanent street name signs and advance information signs have been put in place. Enforcement will be by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.

Traffic restrictions have been in place on Coppergate since the 1960s. The council’s Executive has approved the reintroduction of ANPR cameras to enforce the restrictions. The TRO 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 and permit holders (inc. taxis and private hire vehicles) only

· 10am to 4pm buses, permit holders (inc. taxis and private hire vehicles) and loading/unloading only

· 4pm to 6pm buses and permit holders (inc. taxis and private hire vehicles) only

The reinstatement of the revised TRO was agreed by City of York Council’s Executive on Thursday 13 October 2016. The scheme is fully compliant with the new 2016 Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions that came into force in April 2016”.

For more information about the restrictions, signage and ANPR enforcement visit www.york.gov.uk/coppergate

For more information about travelling in and around York visit www.itravelyork.info

How it went last time they switched on the cameras. Many of those fined were tourists who did not understand the restrictions

New traffic lights

Traffic lights will be modernised

Potentially less controversial is a programme which will see traffic light installations modernised across the City.

Ageing traffic signals on key city centre junctions including George Hudson Street/Micklegate and Skeldergate/Micklegate/North Street are set for a complete overhaul – as part of the largest scheme the city has seen in over 20-years.

Cllr Ian Gillies, executive member of transport and planning, said: “We’ve listened to residents and recognise that our traffic signals are not as reliable as they could be. Investing now will help to bring our systems into the 21st century, saving vital time spent otherwise on repairs and maintenance and more importantly saving money from the public purse.

“By investing in the basics now, it will help to keep York’s roads moving, improving journey reliability and the overall driving and commuter experience in York for future years.”

The last major overhaul of York’s traffic signals was in the mid 1990s with the introduction of the city’s new Urban Traffic Control system (UTC), which controls the city’s transport network.

Over the years, the priority has been to repair immediate maintenance issues, to ensure that the safety and general reliability of the city’s signals requirements are met.

As such, signals have only been replaced on an ad-hoc basis as isolated schemes, or as part of larger improvement projects, such as the works on Boroughbridge Road for the Poppleton Bar Park & Ride service. However, a detailed ‘condition survey’ which inspected the age and condition of every traffic signal in the city found some to be in poor or end of life condition.

Approximately half of the 122 traffic signals and pedestrian crossings in the city will be replaced over a five-year rolling programme with modern equipment.

Work has already been undertaken at many traffic signal sites across the city, including Monkgate pedestrian crossing and Clifton Moorgate/Wigginton Road traffic signals.

The rollout at these key routes will help to further address the backlog of maintenance and ensure the signals continue to operate at the level required.

Works to install new traffic signals and pedestrian crossing signals at the junction of George Hudson Street and Micklegate will start at the end of January through to March.

Further works are then set to take place at the junction of Micklegate/North Street/Skeldergate between March and April. This will include new low level cycle signals on North Street and Skeldergate to provide cyclists with early starts so they can get ahead of the traffic on the well used National Cycle Network Route 65.

Temporary signals will be installed along these routes whilst the old signals are taken down. Footways may also be closed to allow for the cables/ducting to be installed. It’s expected that this part of the scheme will be completed by early April.

The total replacement programme will cost £2.620m over six years and will be funded through the capital programme budget and the existing Local Transport Plan budget.

Dynniq was awarded a single contract for the traffic signals renewals programme work last year.

For more information about the works visit: www.itravelyork.info/

City-wide traffic signal replacement scheme for York

York’s ageing traffic signals are set for a complete overhaul – the largest scheme the city has seen in over 20-years.

Overdue really as we have been reporting increasing problems with traffic light reliability over the last 3 years.

A report will be taken to a Transport and Planning Decision Session on Thursday 12 November to ask the Executive Member to give the green light to implement a new five-year replacement roll-out.

The last major overhaul of York’s traffic signals was in the mid 1990s with the introduction of the city’s new Urban Traffic Control system (UTC), which controls the city’s transport network.

Over the years, City of York Council’s priority has been to repair immediate maintenance issues, to ensure that the safety and general reliability of the city’s signals requirements are met.

As such, signals have only been replaced on an ad-hoc basis as isolated schemes, or as part of larger improvement projects, such as the works on Boroughbridge Road for the new Poppleton Bar Park&Ride service. However, a recent detailed ‘condition survey’ which inspected the age and condition of every traffic signal in the city found some to be in poor or end of life condition.

This highlighted that there is a need for significant investment and to address this, the authority is proposing to take a new approach.

The council is proposing to replace approximately half of the 122 traffic signals and 54 pedestrian crossings in the city over a five-year rolling programme with modern equipment.

Work has already been undertaken at numerous traffic signal sites across the city, and the rollout will help to further address the backlog of maintenance and ensure the signals continue to operate at the level required.
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More traffic light failures

As we reported 6 months ago the reliability of traffic signals in York has plummeted in the last couple of years.

The Council have not yet published a root cause analysis of the failures which – today – again brought traffic chaos to the City centre.

Signals on the Fishergate loop were responsible for the problems.

Its about time the Council got to the bottom of these problems.

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