York electric vehicle charging points

Tourists, businesses and residents in York can now benefit from the region’s first network of pay-as-you-go electric vehicle charging points.

Electric vehicle chargingIn addition to the 12 charging points already located across York, a network consisting of six fast charging points has now been installed at five locations across city centre car parks (Union Terrace and Nunnery Lane) and Park & Ride sites (Monks Cross, Grimston Bar and Designer Outlet) to allow drivers to re-charge their cars on a pay-as-you-go basis.

The network is publicly accessible with a simple payment system so that users can pay by phone or text in a similar way drivers currently pay for parking in council owned car parks.

Each charging point allows two electric vehicles to top up their batteries at the same time with up to 22kW power output from a choice of type two or three pin charging sockets.
(more…)

Askham Bar Park and Ride site due for May completion

Poppleton Bar Roadworks

Poppleton Bar Roadworks

It could be June 2014 before the A59 Park and Ride site near Poppleton opens.

The Tour de France is due to go through the junction on 6th July.

The work was initially held up because of delays in re-routing underground services

Askham Bar (Tadcaster Road) roadworks

Askham Bar (Tadcaster Road) roadworks


The first main traffic management change has just been brought into operation to enable commencement of the subway construction.

The junction changes at Askham Bar will be completed in December with the main site opening in May 2014.

Both opening dates could be delayed if we have a bad winter.

20 mph speed limits signs being put up?

The Councils £600,000 scheme to put up 20 mph speed limit signs across west York will apparently start this weekend.

20 mph

Had the signs gone up before mischief night we doubt many would have survived for long!

The scheme is being g introduced in the face of fierce opposition from the majority of residents.

In the Acomb, Westfield and Woodthorpe areas surveys showed 80% opposed the plan with costs and the ineffectiveness of putting signs, on streets where average speeds are already below 20 mph, being cited as the main concerns.

The Council are desperately trying to convert public opinion by selectively quoting the Police and “local head teachers” as supporting the change. Both the Police and “head teachers” also have responsibilities to taxpayers.

Ironically all the schools in west York already have a 20 mph speed limit outside their entrances – and have had for many years.

speed and accident record of streets in west York click to download

speed and accident record of streets in west York click to download

They might also look at the statistical data – suppressed by the Council during their consultation period – which can be downloaded here.

It revealed that most roads, that will get new 20 mph limits, have had no recorded accidents at all.

The bulk of accidents, in the York area, occur on the main arterial and trunk roads (which will continue with their current speed limits).

A couple of months ago the Council admitted that in other City’s (Portsmouth and Bristol) the number of accidents taking place in wide 20 mph limit area, had actually increased since the speed limits were reduced.

Even the hitherto responsible Benendon Healthcare organisation (where a Labour Councillor is in charge of public relations) appears to have been been taken in by the propaganda with their Chief Executive quoted as saying that it will improve safety.

Not for those living in Bristol and Portsmouth it didn’t.

The Council’s response is to use taxpayers money to pay for a video which is probably the most patronising piece of propaganda that you will see.

Numbers killed and seriously injured in York click to access source data

Numbers killed and seriously injured in York click to access source data

The last set of accident statistics for York roads, up to the end of 2012, have recently been published.

They reveal that those killed and seriously injured on our roads have fallen to an all time low.

This is the result of targeted accident reduction work the funding for which is being cut to pay for the 20 mph signs.

The figures for 2013 will be the last where most of the year reflected this priority. The 2014 figures should be published just a few days before the next local elections taken place (May 2015)

We hope that York residents’ will continue to drive at a safe speed taking into account all road conditions.

Bus use in York down by 10% last year

Bus use click to enlarge

Bus use click to enlarge

Over a million fewer journeys were made by bus last year in York.

This is equivalent to a 10% reduction in “stage carriage” service use. The figures are described as “provisional”.

The Council has yet to respond fully to a Freedom of Information request on bus usage in the City.

Requests for the City to publish bus reliability information are also mired in a legal wrangle.

Although Park and Ride use increased from 4.1 to 4.3 million trips, it did not offset what is the largest single year decline ever recorded in public transport use in the City.

The start of the decline can be traced back to 2011 when the Council confronted the major provider of services in the City (First) in an attempt to get the futuristic ftr taken off York’s roads.

The ftr had been popular with passengers but the dispute led to a period of conflict between the Council and bus operators.

Recent attempts to “hype” a fares reduction through the media proved to be ill judged as many users found that their journey was actually coasting more.

The Council announced at its last meeting that it is scrapping the Quality Bus Partnership which has been a liaison point between bus operators, passenger representatives and the Council.

It will be replaced by another”behind closed doors” discussion group

—————–
NB. Following on from the bad news about reduced footfall in the City, the Council report has also revealed a drop in car park use from 1.62 to 1.52 million.

They are forecasting a net shortfall of £250k (3.5%) from parking income following data from the first six months.

The decline in use followed a decision by the new Labour Council to implement a 36% increase in parking charges.

Tadcaster Road/Slingsby Grove Bus Stop Improvements

Tadcaster Road bus stop proposed changes click to enlarge

Tadcaster Road bus stop proposed changes click to enlarge

The Council is consulting on proposed “improvements” to the bus stop adjacent to No.80 Tadcaster Road.

The proposal is to construct a build-out to the existing footpath at the existing bus stop.

The existing bus stop area of the layby is then marked out and protected by traffic order as a loading bay.

There have been complaints from drivers leaving Slingsby Grove that sight lines to the left are blocked by (illegally) parked vans.

Any representations should be made by Email to mark.reade@york.gov.uk by Friday 15th November 2013

Bus reliability in York – silence continues

The Council continues only to make annual bus reliability figures available for passengers in the city.

bus-stop1

At the last Council meeting Cllr Merrett confirmed that 1 in 5 buses were unreliable

“In the City of York area, 81% of the city’s non-frequent services (5 or fewer services per hour) ran on time (between 59 seconds early and 5 mins 59 secs late) in 2011/12.

In 2012/13, the equivalent figure was 82%”.

However it has subsequently been admitted that this is a single day sample and may bear little resemblance to the service experienced by users on most days of the year.

The Council is still resisting publishing reliability data even at a monthly level.

Such figures would at least give passengers an insight into how services vary from one season to the next.

The lack of information contrasts with the requirements placed on Train Operating Companies who are forced to publish data on a regular basis.

It is likely that this issue will be referred to the new Transport Secretary Baroness Kramer with a request that she intervene and set out a good practice guide.

Have your say on York’s new-look bus timetables

Bus users along the Hull Road to Dunnington route in York will notice new-look bus timetables have been installed as part of a two month trial.

Bus timetable 2013

New timetables have been installed at 42 stops along the number 10 route.

Funded through part of the £3.5 million government Better Bus Area Fund, it is intended that following the trial any necessary improvements can be made, and that the timetables will then be rolled out city wide to the whole network during December/January.

The roll out will include every bus stop in the York area receiving a new timetable cases, which will use a single consistent design showing all departures from the stop in time order.

(more…)

York City centre shopper decline started in 2012

York City centre "to let"

York City centre “to let”

The calamitous decline in the number of shoppers in the City centre first became apparent in 2012.

In that year, the new Labour administration increased car parking charges by 20p for residents.

Yearly footfall figures click to enlarge

Yearly footfall figures click to enlarge

In 2013 they went up again meaning that residents faced a 36% hike in just 2 years.

We forecast that this could have major implications for City centre traders.

The additional traffic restrictions have simply accelerated the downward spiral with “to let” notice springing up all around the City centre as shops pull out.

In the period up to 2011 the, then LibDem led, Council had frozen parking charges.

It had even reduced them at an innovatory “shoppers car park” at Foss Bank.

Footfall figures reveal that for the first 3 years of the recession (2008 – 2011) the numbers accessing the City centre were remarkably stable.

2012 saw a 6% reduction while this increased to 12% comparing September 2013 with the same month in 2012.

Bus Journeys in York Click to enlarge

Bus Journeys in York Click to enlarge

New traffic restrictions were blamed for the accelerating trend.

Meanwhile the numbers of bus passengers has also fallen away although the Council has so far refused to reveal the 2012 passenger numbers.

As we said yesterday, the Council seems to be frozen into inactivity with no real idea what to do to get itself out of the self created crisis.

Nero showed a greater sense of urgency.