Find out more about the major refurbishment of Scarborough rail bridge

Residents, businesses and passengers can find out more about the refurbishment of Scarborough rail bridge (York) this week, as the team behind the work holds an open day.

Scarborough Railway Bridge

On Thursday, 4 December, between 10am and 7pm, at the site offices in Marygate car park, Frederic Street (YO30 7DT), anyone who is interested in the work is encouraged to come along, ask questions and find out more. Attendees can speak to the people running this major project about the plans, the work being undertaken and how long it’s going to take.

The £6m investment is the most significant since the bridge was built in 1875 and, once complete, will mean that the bridge is fit for another 120 years’ service. Work will involve replacing bridge decks, track and installing a new walkway for railway workers. The project is due to complete in April 2015.
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Hopgrove junction to get another upgrade

Today’s government announcements on major improvements to the road network will attract mixed reactions in York.

Included is a pledge to “grade separate” the Hopgrove A1237/A64 junction. This means that fly-overs will replace the roundabout (which was itself subject to an £9 million upgrade only 5 years ago).

However, those hoping for the A1237 to be dualled will be disappointed and traffic, at busy times, having avoided the Hopgrove bottleneck, will immediately face continuing congestion on the remainder of the A64 trip to the coast.

Hopes for the A1237 seem to rest on the devolved funding made available to the, increasingly aloof, Leeds based “West Yorkshire Combined Authority”.

Reports last week suggested that funding for larger roundabouts is the extent of their ambitions.

Lendal Bridge refund fiasco hits TV screens as….

….. fewer than 20% get their money back

click to view (from 19:27)

Last nights episode of the popular BBC Watchdog programme, may have prompted more drivers to apply for a refund of the fines unlawfully imposed when they crossed Lendal bridge in York.

The programme claimed, with the deadline of 31^st December 2014 rapidly approaching, that fewer than 10,000, of the 50,0000 drivers affected, had so far applied for refunds.

The Liberal Democrat Group are going to propose at the next Council meeting (on 11^th December) that the deadline be extended and that all who paid fines are proactively contacted and advised how to seek a refund.

Some who have applied for a refund have apparently found themselves in a Catch 22 situation with the Council only prepared to refund to the registered keeper. In the case of business, lease or hire cars this has involved the driver in an additional time consuming and expensive administrative loop.

Similarly there remains considerable doubt about how many of the fines issued to foreign tourists have actually been repaid. Given the reputational damage done to the City – and the importance of its tourism industry – we would expect that the Council would already have taken action to reach this group of people.

The underlying cause of the problem, of course, remains the stubborn attitude displayed by some Labour Councillors who, despite the overwhelming evidence that was available by September 2013 that something had gone seriously wrong with the trial, refused to suspend it.

They are relying on the support of the 2 man group of Green Party Councillors to fend off the increasing calls for an inquiry into the mess.

Stagecoach and Virgin Group as the new operator of the InterCity East Coast Franchise

Stagecoach and Virgin Group are the new operators of the InterCity East Coast franchise operating passenger trains along the East Coast Main Line (ECML) .

Details of he companies plans can be read by clicking here

Free cycle lights scheme launched in York

North Yorkshire Police and City of York Council have joined forces to help keep cyclists safe this winter.

During the dark nights, North Yorkshire Police’s Cycle Response Team are handing out free LED cycle lights to people who they stop riding without them while out on patrol.

Officers are giving the lights, which have been supplied by City Of York Council’s Road Safety Team, to people cycling alone to help keep them safe.

Not everyone officers stop will be entitled to the cycle lights. They will be given to youngsters or other vulnerable people who would otherwise have to walk home if they were forced to continue their journey without lights.

Officers are also giving out reflective back pack covers.
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Low emission taxis come to York

York’s ‘first low emission taxi company’ is gearing up to help people get from ‘a to b’ with its new green fleet.

Prius taxi in New York

Following support from City of York Council, Streamline Taxis has become the first taxi service in York to operate low emission vehicles with 10 new hybrid taxis and one electric taxi. In addition to this, the taxi company has traded in a number of older diesel cabs which will improve air pollution in York.

This follows a scheme which the council launched in 2013 which offered taxi companies discounts off the purchase price of new and used low emission taxis.

York was the first city in the UK to offer taxi drivers funding towards the price of a low emission taxi to help to reduce air pollution through the Low Emission Taxi incentive, which offers up to £3,000 off the purchase price of a new or used hybrid or electric taxi up to five-years old.

The scheme is funded by the government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF or i-Travel York) and has seen an investment of £67k used over the past two financial years.
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Congestion busting improvements for A19 near Designer Outlet

City of York Council is undertaking a targeted consultation on a scheme to improve one of York’s busiest road interchanges.

Proposed extra lane for A19 announced

The consultation on proposed changes to the A19/A64 junction forms the first phase in the A19 Pinch Point Scheme, which York received approximately £2million for from the government’s Department for Transport, aimed at helping support growth and tackle congestion.

The council is now consulting users of the junction on proposed changes which include the addition of an extra inbound lane on the A19 on approach to the Designer Outlet / A64 roundabout.

Plans also include a new additional inbound bus-lane between the two roundabouts which would link into the existing bus-lane on the A19 north of this junction. These works would increase the capacity of this junction and save users time on their journeys through this major interchange.

The council bid for and successfully secured millions in funding from a share of the £170 million government Pinch Point Funding in 2013 to protect the A19 from any future closure.

York received approximately £2million from the Department for Transport towards the cost of the £4.7m project which will help towards supporting local transport schemes that tackle congestion and support growth.

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Have your say on York’s new Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP3)

Residents and other key stakeholders are today being invited to comment on a new draft Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP3) for York.

In March 1915 York Corporation Tramways Department was one of the very first operators in the country to use electric buses and to this day, there are still two relics of this pioneering form of transport in the City – the shelters at Clifton Green and Malton Road Corner, which were built as charging points for the buses

The consultation runs from 21 November to 2 January 2015 and provides an opportunity to comment on proposals to further reduce emissions and improve air quality in York during the next five years (2015 -2020).

The draft AQAP can be viewed online at www.york.gov.uk/consultations .

Paper copies will also be available in all York Explore libraries and at West Offices reception.

Support from the government’s Green Bus Fund enabled York to become the first city in the north to introduce a fleet of electric buses to its Park&Ride service and more recently a Cleaner Vehicle Technology Fund (CVTF) grant allowed Transdev to convert one of its tour buses to a fully electric drive train.
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Lendal Bridge fines – new move

Liberal Democrats are making a fresh call for all Lendal Bridge fines to be repaid following the resignation of council leader James Alexander.

Lendal bridge – always been busy at 5;00pm

Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Keith Aspden will move a motion at next month’s Full Council meeting (11th December) calling for all fined motorists to be automatically refunded. He will be seeking support from other councillors to back the move in the coming days.

Cllr Aspden says the refunds need to be part of a wider rethink of council policies following the resignation of the Labour council leader yesterday.

Cllr Keith Aspden, Liberal Democrat Group Leader in York, commented:
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Changes to traffic lanes on Clarence Street

Clarence Street proposals – click to access

Following consultation with residents and businesses a new scheme to improve one of York’s key city centre bus routes is set to go to a Cabinet Member meeting for final approval.

The proposals include introducing a longer lane for vehicles turning left into Lord Mayor’s Walk from Clarence Street, so that straight-through/ right-turning traffic is not held up by queuing vehicles.

Traffic signals will be changed so that the left turn from Clarence Street into Lord Mayor’s Walk gets additional ‘green time’.

The scheme is supported through part of the £3.5 million Better Bus Area Fund (BBAF) awarded to the council from the Government’s Department for Transport in 2012.

The five-week consultation took place in September and October and asked for views on the proposed measures on Clarence Street to help improve the reliability of bus services on the approach to York city centre.

The findings of the consultation will now go before the Cabinet Member for Transport’s public Decision Session on Friday 21 November for final approval.

The improvements will help three of York’s five most frequent bus services, specifically routes 1, 5 and 6 which can experience some delays on Clarence Street, Gillygate and St Leonards Place.