Plans have been drawn up to restrict traffic in Rougier Street and George Hudson Street to cut congestion and free up roads for buses.
The changes, which could come into effect next summer, would see private traffic banned from driving through a busy area of York.
Drivers who break the new rules would be issued with warning letters for the first six months and fined afterwards.
Cllr Kate Ravilious, City of York Council’s Labour transport spokesperson, said the Rougier Route aimed to speed up bus journeys, give pedestrians more space and support active travel.
Council sustainable transport lead Tom Horner said York risked becoming a victim of its own success unless congestion is cut before 13,000 homes are built in the coming years.
It comes as a council consultation on the plans opened today (Wednesday) and is set to run until Monday 12 January.
The plans follow a 2024 council survey where 72 per cent of respondents said they would support priority routes for buses.
They also come alongside the goal of cutting car journeys into the city centre by a fifth by 2030 as set out in the council’s transport strategy.
More than 1,000 buses use the Rougier Street corridor, which runs between Station Road and Micklegate, every day according to council data.
The 29 bus routes which use the corridor account for more than half of all services in York.
The council estimates the proposed measures could save between three to five minutes on bus journeys through the city centre.
Private traffic will be prohibited from using the corridor as a through route, with access limited to buses, emergency services vehicles and cyclists.
People would still be able to drive into the streets to park including in Blue Badge spaces, with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras monitoring potential breaches.
A bus gate would be in place on George Hudson Street to the North Street and Skeldergate junction in Micklegate, with operating hours and other aspects subject to consultation.
Cllr Ravilious told YorkMix: “The message is, you can drive in, but you can’t drive through.
“You can still access any area within this corridor. You can still access any of the existing parking spaces that are there at the moment, so anyone who needs to come here to use one of the businesses or lives there can still come here in their vehicle.
“It’s not preventing that activity. The actual bus gate and corridor itself is very minimal, and it is purely about preventing people who are just driving through for a shortcut but not stopping in the area.”
A bus lane would be created on Rougier Street and private cars driving into it from Station Road would need to turn right onto Tanner Row.
Traffic would then travel along a one-way loop running from Tanner Row to Toft Green and on to Micklegate.
Micklegate is set to become one-way eastbound from Micklegate Bar to the junction with George Hudson Street.
Private cars travelling along Micklegate would only be able to turn left into George Hudson Street.
The council estimates the new one-way system would add around 90 seconds onto private car journeys.
One-way systems would also be in place at Trinity Hill’s junction with Bishophill Junior and at the turning from Fetter Lane onto Bishophill Senior.
The plans also include cycle lanes along Tanner Row, Toft Green and Micklegate for cyclists to ride along in both directions.
Parts of Micklegate could also be repurposed for pavement cafés, trees, cycle and Blue Badge parking and other uses, depending on local feedback.
There is also a future council commitment to create a bus turning loop at York Station to cut journey times further.
The Rougier Route plans are backed by £2.2m in Government funding through the council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
Changes would come into effect next summer subject to the outcome of the council’s consultation and a decision by its executive in the spring.
The measures would be in place for an 18-month trial period before a decision is made on whether to keep them or make any changes.
Council transport executive Member Cllr Ravilious said works which are set to see Lendal Bridge close to traffic for eight weeks from Easter would be finished beforehand.
Cllr Ravilous added improving the reliability of existing bus services frees up some of the roughly £800,000 the council spends on subsidising routes to invest in creating new ones.
The Labour executive member said: “This gives an opportunity to improve bus reliability and creates a vital pedestrian-friendly link from the city centre footstreets through to Micklegate with its wealth of shops and businesses.
“Faster, more reliable sevices will enable more people to choose to travel by bus, reducing the volume of traffic on our roads and freeing up space for those who do need to drive.”
Simon Lightwood, the Government’s local transport minister, said he was delighted that the council was looking into the proposals.
The minister said: “This could potentially transform travel through the city centre by creating faster and more reliable routes for residents, businesses and tourists to help create strong local growth.”
