Parking restrictions set to bite

New parking restrictions on the Revival estate, off Tadcaster Road, are set to bite from Monday 14th December.

Masters Mews gate

After a two week ‘period of grace’, Minster Baywatch will begin proactive enforcement of the new restrictions on Masters Mews and Scholars Court from 14 December.

The restrictions have been brought in after letters to residents failed to stop a small but persistent number of motorists parking in front of the emergency access gates that lead out onto Tadcaster Road. It is hoped that the new restrictions will also help to address other types of inappropriate parking, such as parking across footpaths.

In response to concerns raised by residents, Cllr Stephen Fenton has asked that an additional bollard be installed on Masters Mews (pictured below) at a location where pavement parking is a problem.

Bollard

New parking restrictions for Mayfield Grove and Wains Road

The Council has published a report reviewing parking arrangements at several locations in the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward.
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The decisions, for four roads in the area which had been reported for action, were:

  • E1 – Ullswater/Acorn Way – Agreed no action to be taken.
  • E2 – Aintree Court/Mayfield Grove – Agreed to advertise no waiting at any time restrictions on Mayfield Grove for 10m either wide of the Aintree Court junction, plus 25m into Aintree Court.
  • E3 – Bramble Dene – Agreed no action to be taken.
  • E4 – Wains Road/Chaloner’s Road – Agreed to advertise no waiting at any time restrictions for 10m both sides of the junction.

Click the link below for details:

Revival double yellows

Local Lib Dem councillor Stephen Fenton has welcomed action taken to enforce parking restrictions at the entrance to the Revival estate off Tadcaster Road. More double yellow lines are planned to be installed following a recent public consultation. The measures are in response to dangerous and inconsiderate parking.

 

Revival ticket

Stephen is also in touch with council officers, who are in turn in contact with the developers and management company, about the irresponsible parking in front of the emergency access gates in the corner of Masters Mews.

Revival parking restrictions get the green light

We are pleased to report that there have been no objections to the recently advertised Traffic Regulation Order proposals for the Revival estate off Tadcaster Road.

Revival2

A works order for the additional lengths of yellow line to be put down will be issued shortly. However as the work is quite weather dependent there is not yet a firm date for when this work will take place.

We will keep residents informed as the timescale becomes clearer.

‘Revival’ parking proposals published

Proposals have been published by the council which would introduce waiting restrictions at a number of locations on the ‘Revival’ development off Tadcaster Road.

The proposals (details of which can be viewed below) are designed to improve safety at places that are adversely affected by indiscriminate / obstructive parking.

Revival letter pg2

Proposed lines to be installed:

Revival letter pg4

First phase of yellow lines:

Revival letter pg3

Hob Moor flats plan paused

Newbury Avenue garages

The new Council has suspended the letting of a contract to build on the garage site on Newbury Avenue.

The scheme, hatched by the last Labour administration, had been pushed through against strong opposition from residents who lived in the area. Most objectors had pointed to the lack of alternative car parking space on the estate and to problems with the road network (which is limited to a single entry route from Kingsway West).

The problems had been exacerbated by the Council’s decision to almost double the number of homes being built on the nearby Our Lady’s school site.

One idea, thrown out by Labour, had been a proposals that anyone affected by the new buildings, and who did not have an off-street parking space, would be offered a free dropped kerb/verge crossover.

The Council were asked to look at other sites including the derelict land to the rear of the Library on Front Street. A site which is very well located for the kind of amenities that the elderly occupants of the flats are likely to need.

 Local Councillor Dafydd Williams was blamed by many for the decision. He was forced to quit his Westfield seat in May and seek election in a ward located on the other side of the City.  The Councillor who claimed responsibility for the proposed development (Simpson-Laing from Acomb) lost her seat at the elections.

The project suspension will provide another opportunity for the issues surrounding this development to be reviewed.

NB Cllr Sue Hunter (Email cllr.shunter@ork.gov.uk) is making efforts to revive the local Residents Association. The last Association collapsed 2 years ago when most of is members resigned in protest against Labour’s controversial local development decisions.

York free car parking scheme abandoned

The scheme was introduced last year but was criticised for being complicated, applying to only some car parks and only for a limited number of days & hours.

Another Alexander project abandoned

Traders have confirmed that the offer – which cost £300,000 to subsidise – has had little effect on the number of customers that they have been getting.

A plan to pay for the scheme, using funds from a Business Improvement District organisation, appears to have fallen through

The scheme was the controversial brainchild of the former Council Leader James Alexander who was struggling to cope with traders anger in the wake of the Lendal bridge closure fiasco as well as fears that the new John Lewis store at Monks Cross would pull shoppers away from the City centre.

It will be a “double whammy” for visitors to the City centre from 1st April as a proposal by Green Councillors, to raise hourly parking charges by 10p, will also kick in.

Parking changes from 1 April will also effect on street parking and season permits across the city, 

• The standard rate of car park and on-street charges: will increase by 10p per hour to vehicles not displaying a Minster Badge (an optional resident parking permit). 

• Residents who are signed up to the Minster Badge scheme:  will benefit from an additional FREE hour in car parks on Friday and Saturday evening (which moves from 5pm instead of 6pm). Valid in selected car parks only.

• Pay-by-phone option (in selected car parks) remains 10p cheaper per hour than the standard rate.

• Season parking tickets: An increase of approximately four per cent.

From the end of March the council will also be installing new tariff boards in all council car parks to display the new charges.

For more details about parking in York visit www.york.gov.uk/parking 

Travelling in York? Plan journeys in advance by using the online Journey Planner at www.itravelyork.info

Increase in visitor numbers in York City Centre

“Freedom of information” response reveals 24% more walked down Parliament Street in 2014 than in the previous year.

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The number of visitors to the York City centre is now comparable with pre recession levels.

The area seems to have recovered from the reduction seen during the summer and autumn of 2013 when the Lendal bridge closure resulted in adverse publicity for the City across a wide part of the UK and indeed Europe.

The recovery seems to have extended into 2015 with 24% more pedestrian movements logged in January 2015 compared to 2014, with 10% more recorded during February

A complete day by day footfall monitor for cameras in Parliament Street, Coney Street, Church Street, Micklegate and Stonegate can be downloaded by clicking here. The latter 4 camera sites have been operating for less than a year, making comparisons difficult

Some caution should be used when looking at the footfall numbers.

The cameras may have been relocated in the past while special events and market stall locations, can “channel” greater or lesser numbers of people into range of the cameras.

The data is not of course a measure of how much people are spending in the City centre.

Marygate car park to be closed during February

Rail passengers, York residents and visitors to the city are being reminded to plan ahead this half term as the old bridge deck of Scarborough Rail Bridge will be lifted out and a new one installed.

The work to refurbish the bridge means that no trains can run over it between 14 and 23 February, with coaches replacing First Trans-Pennine Express trains between York and Seamer.

The worksite in York will also affect local residents and visitors. Marygate car park will be closed from 2 to 27 February to safely accommodate the crane and other construction equipment. The footbridge alongside Scarborough railway bridge which also carries National Cycle Network route 65 across the river will be closed from 9 February to 2 March and the shared use paths on either side of the river under Scarborough railway bridge will close between 14 and 22 February.
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Traffic signals and car park barriers unreliable in York

Traffic signals

This year to date (1st Jan to 3rd Dec) there have been a total of 696 traffic signal faults reported to the York Council’s maintenance contractors.

This number was 678 for the same period last year.

The Council does not have a means of recording the total duration for which signals have been out of operation; however, for high priority faults in this period – which are recorded in their own indicator – 91% were resolved within 4 hours, compared to 82% for the same period last year.

Marygate car park

Barrier faults have occurred during a total of 17 days since they were introduced at the Marygate car park. Currently income from the car park is less than it was when operated on a pay and display basis.Marygate-car-park-equipment-768x1024

Income from the Marygate car park, from the start of July to the end of October, totalled £231,000 in 2014/15.

The equivalent figure for 2013/14 was £246,000.

The York Council spent £100,000 installing the barrier system at Marygate.

NB. The Council has admitted that due to faults on its automated vehicle counting systems it doesn’t know how many motorists have taken advantage of the free parking offer which is available at some car parks from Thursday to Saturday.

Overall income from car parking is, however, over £400,000 below budgeted levels.