Local company Optare are to provide the electric buses for York announced by the Coalition Government on Monday.

LibDem Minister Norman Baker (right) at the launch of the 34 seat Optare electric bus

The buses are understood to be a larger version of those used in “Poundbury” in Dorset – the inspiration for the new Derwenthorpe village in York.

The 11 metre Versa EVs have a seating capacity of 34, which with standees results in a total carrying capacity of over 50.

De Courcey Travel are using the Versa EVs on the well patronised 400 vehicle Coventry South Park and Ride scheme with journeys into the city centre at 12 minute intervals at peak times.

The buses have a range of up to 100 miles. Fast charging points can recharge the batteries in around 2 hours.

The buses cost over £200,000 each. The government pays up to 50% of the cost of each.

Below is the latest planning application received by the York Council. Full details can be found by clicking by quoting the application reference on the “planning portal” web site. Click here. http://planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications/

Representations can be made in favour of, or in objection to, any application via the Planning on line web site.

NB. The Council now no longer routinely consults neighbours by letter when an application is received.

Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ref No: 13/01450/FUL Location: 117 Dringthorpe Road York YO24 1LF Proposal: Two storey rear extension and single storey side extension (revised scheme) Applicant: Dr Chai Consultation Expiry Date 18 June 2013 Case Officer: Heather Fairy (Mon – Wed) Expected Decision Level DEL

Local voluntary groups are being invited to bid for ward grants to help fund projects that will improve local communities and the lives of York residents. Each Residents’ Forum (previously called Ward Committee) has a budget from which grants can be given to not-for-profit groups who meet certain criteria.

Ann Reid with local salt bin

The amount of money available to fund neighbourhood initiatives like these has been slashed to only 10% of the figure made available when the Liberal Democrats led the Council.

The Councils approach has been criticised as large parts of the City have no neighbourhood based voluntary Groups operating.

Even those with residents associations struggled to find suitable projects while traditionally popular programmes (such a improved parking facilities and salt bin refilling) were abandoned.
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The media are reporting that there was a car fire in Chaloners Road last night

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue have been called to a car fire in York overnight.

Fire crews put-out a car fire, which had also spread to the front of the adjacent property damaging the door and window.

A female, aged mid-30s also suffered burns to her face and hand and was transported to hospital by ambulance, say fire crews.

The mobile safety cameras will be in operation at the following sites at various times during the dates stated. Cameras will not be in use all day, every day. The locations were accurate when this news release was produced.

• A1237 Monks Cross York

• Beckfield Lane Acomb York

• Malton Road York

• Millfield lane Poppleton York

• Murton Way Murton York

• Strensall Road Huntington York

• Tadcaster Road Dringhouses York

• Temple Lane Copmanthorpe York

• The village Stockton-on-the-Forest York

• Towthorpe Road Haxby

• York Road Haxby York

• B1228 Dunnington Lodge Elvington

• A64 east-bound Tadcaster by-pass
• A64 west-bound Tadcaster by-pass
• A64 west-bound Malton by-pass
• A64 east-bound Malton by-pass
• A64 west-bound Whitwell Hill
• A64 east-bound Barton Hill Cross Roads
• A64 Seamer by-pass
• A64 Seamer Road Scarborough
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All residents in West York should have received a consultation leaflet on plans for a wide area 20 mph speed limit. They came in a plastic envelope with a leaflet about the Local Plan (about which more later this week) and “Local Link”.

Anyone who has propelled the”pack” in the general direction of the recycling bin may get another by telephoning the Council on York 551550.

The leaflet, after a few ritual attempts to blame the government for introducing 20 mph limits (actually it is entirely up to local Councils to decide), tells residents that they have until 21st June to “object” to the new limits.

The implication is that, if you don’t record an objection, then you must favour the new limit. Inertia and barriers to responses (they require written submissions) aren’t the only problems with the councils approach.

The leaflets are singularly short on facts.

• First and most obviously there is no mention of the £600,000 cost of the project.

• Secondly the Council are not making available the results of the speed checks that they have undertaken on many of the roads in the area. (We know most cul de sacs not surprisingly already have very low average speeds)

• And finally there is no information about accident levels (again we know that accident rates on the roads that may get a 20 mph limit are much lower than for other roads in and around the City).

We advise everyone to Email 20mph@york.gov.uk and register a formal objection to “The York Speed Limit (amendment) (No 11/4) Order 2013”.

Below are some reasons that could be quoted in support of an objection.

1. The west of York has generally got a good road safety record and already has 20 mph speed limits at appropriate locations (e.g. outside schools).

2. Average speeds, in most of the roads to be covered by the 20 mph limit, are already below 30 mph and the Council’s claim, that the new signs would reduce speeds by 3 mph, would therefore make little practical difference.

3. Accident rates in York (Killed and Seriously Injured casualties – KSI) have reduced dramatically over the last 6 years. Available resources should be focused on continuing the Councils successful accident prevention programme which is partly responsible for this improvement.

4. The impact of 20 mph speed limits on accident rates is not yet fully understood. In some City’s, such as Portsmouth, the introduction of a wide area 20 mph speed limit has led to an increase in the number of KSI accidents.

5. The Police have said that they do not have the resources to enforce a wide area 20 mph speed limit. The Police and Crime Commissioner has confirmed that mobile safety camera vans will not be used to enforce such a limit. It follows that drivers will continue to drive at a speed that they consider appropriate for the conditions on a particular day.

6. Police speed limit enforcement resources should continue to be focused at accident black spots.

Despite the success of Saturdays event, we understand that the York Council is refusing to fund future fairs of this sort.

The Friends of Hob moor are asking if there are sufficienty volunteers to make the event self supporting next year.

You can visit their web site by clicking here.

The York Council has announced that next weeks “Cabinet” meeting (5:30pm, Tuesday 4th June West Offices) will be “webcast”.

It appears that anyone registering to speak will not be given the option of having the web cam switched off. They will also be publicly named.

It seems extraordinary that the Council should go ahead with such a trial without introducing a code covering the use of recorded images.

Nor is there any record of the costs that the introduction of such a system could incur.

Mysteriously the agenda for the Cabinet meeting scheduled for the 4th June disappeared from the Councils web site over the weekend. STOP PRESS update – agenda now back on Council web site

This may be connected with complaints that the Council broke the law by not publish all background reports when it discussed the Local Plan on 30th April and subsequently failed to provide a copy of a relevant report to a member of the Council when requested to do so (click here to see a copy of the regulations. Para 5 is relevant)

The agenda for next Tuesday meeting is as follows
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Over 15 of the region’s most talented artists display personal works inspired by York Minster. The artists include Jake Attree, whose work has been exhibited in London, New York and Germany. The auction starts on the 27 May and culminates in an auction on the 7 June, purchase your ticket for the auction by clicking on Book Now!

The exhibition brings together a range of artists, both professional and amateur, and from a wide variety of backgrounds, including worshippers and staff from the Minster itself. They are united by a sense of a connection with the Minster and its surroundings and by their wish to support the York Minster Fund in its work.

The Fund was established in 1967 in order to save the central tower from collapse, and has continued since then to raise money for the essential and ongoing need for restoration and preservation of this ancient building.

On the evening of 7 June at 7.30pm, the paintings will be auctioned in the North Transept to raise money for the conservation and restoration of York Minster.

Exhibition included in your admission ticket. Auction 7 June 7.30pm, £5 Book now

Bus passengers in England are set to benefit from cleaner, greener bus journeys thanks to the 4th round of the Green Bus Fund announced today by LibDem Local Transport Minister Norman Baker.

The £12 million funding for 213 new low carbon buses will deliver better services for passengers while also cutting carbon and delivering economic growth.

Electric bus trial started in 2010

9 low emission buses will be seen around the City as a result of a major grant from the governments Green Bus fund.

They are expected to be powered by electricity.

We understand that one of the vehicles will replace the ubiquitous “Uni bus” plying its trade to the Heslington area, while others will service the new Derwenthorpe development and the new Park and Ride site at Poppleton.

The buses were first trialed in York in 2010 (see left) by the then LibDem led Council.

The Labour Councillor responsible for transport said at a Council meeting in March that he didn’t know whether a bid to the Green Bus fund had been submitted.

Fortunately it turns out that local bus operators (TransDev and First) had indeed submitted bids.

The bids are part of a £12 million programme. York does relatively well out of the allocations which are announced today

The Green Bus Fund aims to cut greenhouse gas emission levels and encourage bus operators and local councils to make the switch to more environmentally-friendly buses. In total 4 rounds of the fund, worth £87 million, will have delivered more than 1200 new low carbon buses in England, saving around 28,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

The government is paying up to half the cost difference between the buses and their standard diesel equivalent.