Affected residents ‘strongly oppose’ new York traffic restrictions – but better buses backed

Residents of areas that would be affected by the Rougier Route plans are ‘strongly opposed’ to new restrictions.

But a consultation into the proposals found backing for faster buses, which is the main aim of the changes in York city centre.

Under the plans, bus gates would be placed on George Hudson Street to the North Street and Skeldergate junction in Micklegate.

Private traffic would be banned during the operating hours.

The council estimates the proposed measures could save between three to five minutes on bus journeys through the city centre.

A consultation on the plans finished in January. Now a City of York Council report has revealed the key findings.

The report says: “There are a number of exemptions that could be applied to the bus lane, bus gates and to locations in Bishophill.

“The detail of the various legal requirements, signage implications and the social and traffic impacts of exempting or not exempting certain types of vehicle or user are currently being worked through by the project team.”

Key feedback

A total of 1,175 people responded to the consultation.

There was support for improving buses. A total of 72% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed when asked “to what extent do you disagree with the introduction of dedicated priority routes for buses and sustainable transport”.

More than 37% said they would use buses more often if York introduced dedicated priority routes.

The council report reveals these key findings from the consultation:

• Concern around extended journeys for those in the Micklegate loop to access the south of the city which would increase journeys from this area across the Station Frontage
• Concern around extra time/difficulty for business owners on Micklegate accessing the south of the city.
• Concern that the proposed Victoria Bar closure would lead to additional pressure on the Nunnery Lane/Price’s Lane Gyratory and the Skeldergate/Bishopgate Street junction.
• Parking on Fetter Lane causing problems for pedestrians and wheelchair users.
• General preference to retain bollards on Bishophill Senior.
• Site specific issues associated with Buckingham Court.
• Concern over additional taxi movements in the Bishophill/Skeldergate area.

Most people agreed with a 20mph limit on the roads included in the scheme. But that “is a longer-term project due to implications on the city centre”.

Residents and local businesses’ views

Bishophill resident access – Victor Street and Victoria Bar. Restrictions were included as an option which effectively close the through route to traffic. Bishophill residents “were strongly opposed to this idea.

“Residents told us that additional journey time would be incurred and additional financial cost if travelling via a taxi due to increased journey time via alternative routes.

“Based on feedback received during the consultation, the preferred option is to leave Victor Street and Victoria Bar open as per the current Traffic Regulation Order for local residents only.”

Bishophill access could be controlled by new automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras where the defunct rise/fall bollard is now.

Micklegate resident access – Fetter Lane / Bishophill Junior. The proposal would see filter restrictions at the junction of Bishophill Junior and Fetter Lane, effectively closing the through route from Micklegate via Trinity Lane, Bishophill Junior and through Fetter Lane onto Skeldergate to vehicular traffic.

The existing closure of Bishophill Senior would then be opened up to through traffic. Again, residents were “strongly opposed to these ideas” citing longer journey times

“To prevent unwanted additional through traffic using this route to navigate around the Rougier Route bus gate restrictions, resident access on Fetter Lane would be enforced by new ANPR camera,” the report says.

There could be “a supplementary permit system for local businesses”.

Hackney carriages and taxis

It has not yet been decided if taxis would be permitted to use the Rougier Route.

In the consultation, hackney carriage operators “highlighted the importance of journeys through the Rougier Route corridor, particularly between St Saviourgate and the York Rail Station.”

The consultation with private taxi drivers identified one operator who transports SEND students (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) to and from facilities in the city.

Allowing taxis to use the route would reduce journey times for the students. The report adds: “However, it would also reduce the effectiveness of the reduction in vehicle traffic and improvements in road safety that the scheme seeks to achieve, with pre-consultation traffic surveys showing that taxis (both Hackney and Private Hire) make up 15% of current weekday traffic on the Rougier Route.”

Blue badge users

Blue badge users could still access all the disabled parking bays, although journey times would be longer in some cases.

The consultation revealed that longer journeys for some some blue badge holders “would cause them physical discomfort and have mental health impacts as well as additional financial cost if in a taxi”.

The report says: “Implementing a blue badge exemption would require a new registration-based process to be set up.

“Blue badges are allocated to a person, not a vehicle so it would be likely that each blue badge would need to potentially register up to four or five vehicles – many would need less.

“There is no staffing resource in place to administer such a process currently so there would be cost of a new member of staff and cover for that person to account for. It is envisaged that this cost would be in the order of £40k per annum.”

• The report will be discussed at a place scrutiny committee meeting next Tuesday, 24 March
• An 18-month trial period for the Rougier Route scheme is due to star this summer