CoYC April 2021 Update

The Sustainable Transport Manager Julian for City of York Council, Julian Ridge, has offered to provide the Campaign with regular updates of progress on schemes by the council across the city. Here is the first of those updates;

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As the weather warms up there has been a lot of cycling activity at CYC.  We have made job offers both to a new Active Modes Planner (who we hope to introduce next month once they’ve started) and to a Programme Manager for the Active Travel Fund.  Design work is continuing on the cycle lane scheme for Bootham and Shipton Road, with York’s narrow and varying road widths throwing up some challenges to the design team.

We are also working on designs to improve conditions for cyclists and pedestrians at the tricky junctions at Clifton Green and Rawcliffe Lane/ Shipton Road.  A draft design has been completed for a cycle path on the eastern side of the A1237 bridge over the railway and River Ouse, and this now needs to be checked and safety audited before we begin a consultation process on the design. 

The next projects to be designed are the proposed lanes on Acomb Road and we are hard at work on the off-road path between Wheldrake and Heslington.  We are also, separately, looking at what measures can be introduced to improve conditions for cyclists, as part of the much larger scheme to rebuild Tadcaster Road, and the Navigation Road scheme is also being progressed, having passed through the consultation stage.

We’ve also been doing work to help the Environment Agency with diversion routes for the Terry Avenue and Lendal Arch closures.  In terms of the Terry Avenue diversion through South Bank we are looking at an alternative to the original route which replaces Thorpe St with Millfield Rd and Cygnet St/Swann St with St Benedict’s Rd but residents have flagged up some concerns with the proposed enhancements to the Scarcroft Road section, mostly related to the suspension of residents’ parking bays for the duration of the Terry Avenue closure, so a report is being taken to the 11^th May Executive Member Decision Session for permission to look at alternatives to the existing facilities. 

We will also be trialling the removal of the lower channel on the barriers at the access points onto Hob Moor following discussion with the grazier.  The wider review of barriers will be commencing soon and £100K has been secured this financial year (to April 2022) to start the work of auditing the access barriers across the city which will enable us to draw up a plan for removal, relaxation or redesign of barriers at appropriate sites.

We are about to kick off a new round of itravel York activity – more details to follow next month – and we are also about to begin work on York’s fourth Local Transport Plan (LTP), with a report to the Council’s Executive on the 20^th May outlining how the plan will be developed.  The LTP will include York’s first Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, which we will be developing through consultation over the Summer and Autumn. 

In more wider sustainable transport news, we are developing York’s bus network through our response to the National Bus Strategy – with another report to Executive on this on 20^th May. In the meantime – we hope you all enjoy getting out on your bikes – or your feet – or the buses – in the Spring!