Castle short stay car park
It has also released details of expenditure and enforcement arrangements.
Details can be down loaded here
click for larger map
A length of no waiting restriction with a limited waiting parking bay on Heslington Road is to be provided in the vicinity of St Lawrence’s Primary School.
The changes follows problems with parents parking in restricted areas near the school.
The Council wishes to encourage them to use a new limited waiting parking bay.
This will mean that the cycle lane will also be removed.
A series of informative videos have been created to promote cycling in a safe and courteous manner around York.
The videos, which are part of the i-Travel York initiative, feature an alien cycling along some of York’s well known cycle tracks, giving tips and advice to cyclists along the way.
The videos encourage cyclists to ride with lights, lock their bike securely and ride on the road and designated cycle paths.
The project is supported by the council’s four-year i-Travel York initiative, made possible by £4.6 million of government funding which the council successfully bid for in 2011.
The videos can be viewed at
http://www.york.ac.uk/admin/estates/transport/cycling/security/meet-the-alien/
The number of visitors to the City has dropped dramatically since the new restrictions were introduced on Coppergate and on Lendal Bridge.
The latest figures have been released by the York Council following a Freedom of Information request
In total, footfall cameras on Parliament Street recorded 2.695 million people between 1st August and the start of the St Nicholas Fayre on 28th November.
The equivalent figure for 2012 was 2.980 million, a fall of 10%.
Figures recovered over the 4 days of the St Nicholas Fayre although the concentration of footfall may have been influenced by the positioning of the market.
The figures are even more disappointing given the relatively good weather that we have experienced so far this autumn.
They confirm that the new restrictions are having a major adverse effect on the economic viability of many retailers in the City centre.
The Council has previously resisted calls for the restrictions to be suspended at least until the busy pre Christmas period is over.
By contrast, in the first 7 months of the year, visitor numbers had fallen by a total of 5% with the decrease being blamed on a large increase in car parking charges.
A spreadsheet showing individual figures for each day can be found by clicking here.
A Council survey on residents and visitors reactions to the traffic restrictions can be found here
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/lendalsurvey
Throughout 2013 the council has added space for an extra 150 bikes within the city centre, which has been done by adding new cycle racks and extending some existing racks. This has grown the number of spaces by 18 per-cent compared to the beginning of the year.
The new spaces are located on:
The existing racks that have been extended are:
Click to visit site
It was heavily criticised for not providing the kind of real time traffic congestion camera input which has been widely available elsewhere for over a decade.
The responsible Councillor promised in October that this feature would be available within days.
But now the interactive map has crashed altogether and does not provide any information at all about car parks, road works etc.
It is an embarrassing “fail” for the City in the busy run up to Christmas and may have contributed to the sometimes chaotic traffic scenes which arose during the St Nicholas Fayre period.
The government is consulting on a plan to establish a West Yorkshire and York “Super Council”.
The plan could “unlock” a £1 billion transport investment fund for the region as the coalition government pursues a policy of devolution. York might expect to get between £5 and £10 million a year from the devolved transport budget.
The York Council hopes to get £83.5 million in total for major infrastructure from a new “pot”.
York would be contributing up to £4 million a year into this “pot”. This is additional unbudgeted expenditure and would mean an increase in Council Tax levels and/or the introduction of new/additional charges
The report being considered tomorrow singularly fails to address the financial disadvantages of “pooling” transport income streams. Even the scale of the risk remains unclear.
Under the current proposals, drawn up by Labour Local Authority Leaders, York would not be a full member of the new authority and would not have voting rights.
The key question to be answered therefore is whether the new arrangements will be better for the people of York?
Or are they just a way of underpinning a “high growth” approach to the future of the City? That’s the 25% increase in size during the next 15 years advocated in the Local Plan published by Labour in April.
A West Riding, Labour, dominated super Council would not automatically be any more sensitive to the needs of a City like York than would the present decision taker who is bunkered in Whitehall.
The Authority would be ruled by a Quango. There is no mechanism for giving residents a say in the running of the new “Council”.
With local elections only 16 months away, there is a worrying absence of broad consensus across the political spectrum on whether, and on what terms, participation in the “Super Council” should be pursued.
Views must be sent to the government collaborate@communities.gsi.gov.uk by 2nd January 2014.
Attempts by the council’s leadership to justify the Lendal bridge closure on Radio York today are being greeted with derision by most listeners.
The Council have singularly failed to provide update reports on footfall (shopper numbers), accidents, journey times (all classes of vehicle), air quality and the levels of successful appeals against the fines imposed by the number plate recognition cameras.
However they are now conducting an “on line” survey of resident’s views.
The chances are that few will even know that this is going on so the results will be open to manipulation.
Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats survey – conducted through a house to house delivery to 7000 properties in west York – has attracted a large response. Around 10% of the forms have now been returned and analysed. The percentages are now stable. The latest figures are:
click to enlarge
Dial & Ride is York’s flexible bus service for residents who have difficulty in getting around.
The bus can drop off at St Sampson’s Centre, Sainsbury’s Foss bank, Morrison’s, Waitrose or Home Sense
It provides a door-to-door service, taking people from their home to the city centre or major supermarkets. The buses are equipped for people who have difficulty walking and for those who use wheelchairs.
Passengers need to book in advance by telephoning 01904 551441. Office opening times are weekdays from 8am until 12 noon but a message can be left outside of these times.
Full fare
Concessionary pass holders
Blind person’s pass holders travel free.
Timetable – A full timetable can be found here:
.
York City centre “to let”
The move follows months of protests from City centre traders who have seen shopper numbers fall in the wake of the new traffic restrictions and huge increases in car parking charges introduced by the Labour led Council.
Launched in August last year, the group is made up of retailers, the city council and a range of professional and businesses organisations from across the city centre with a remit to improve business growth, resilience and economic vitality.
It replaced a City centre traders group which had worked closely with the Council for many years with the introduction of a cheap “shoppers car park” on Fossbank one of its achievements.
An advert of a new private sector chair has been published.
Closing date for applications is 31st December 2013 and full details for any business person who would be interested in applying for this voluntary post may be found here: http://www.yorkmeansbusiness.co.uk/updates/city-team-york-chair.aspx