Following the revelation on this site a couple of months ago that the largest number of road traffic accidents were occurring on roads where the proposed 20 mph speed limit would not apply, the responsible Councillor (Dave Merrett) was asked at the last Council meeting

“How much funding he intend to devote to reducing the number of accidents on roads in west York where there are no plans to introduce a 20mph limit, what schemes will this funding be used for, and what reduction in the annual toll of casualties can we expect to see as a result of this investment?”

In total of 334 accidents – including 35 where the victims were killed or seriously injured – had occurred on these roads over the last 4 years.

The roads with the worst records are Tadcaster Road (48 accidents), Boroughbridge Road (33)Holgate Road (30), Poppleton Road (16), Thanet Road (15), Gale Lane (15), York Road (14), Askham Lane (13), Moor Lane (13), Beckfield Lane (12), Acomb Road (11) and Front Street (10).

In response Cllr Merrett admitted that there would be no additional road safety investment in the area during the present year.

“Our 13/14 local safety scheme programme does not include any cluster sites in the west York area, which tends to suggest the roads in this are experiencing low accidents numbers, which is a considered to be a consequence of the work we have done in the area over recent years”.

He highlighted the work done to improve safety at the Askham Lane/Moor Lane/A 1237 junction by the last Liberal Democrat led Council.

The roundabout there has resulted in a reduction in the number of accidents at that location.

A Council spokesman was asked at the last meeting to agree to bus service reliability stats being published.

“Would the Cabinet Member join with me in congratulating First York on arranging to consult with passengers before deciding what changes to introduce to routes in the autumn, and would he also join with me in urging First to publish the service reliability data that it holds for each route to ensure an informed discussion on the need for changes?”

The response was cautious

“We understand that First will be looking to implement changes resulting from the consultation over the coming months and we look forward to working with them and with the City’s other bus operators to deliver a local bus network which better meets the needs of York’s residents”.

And Monty Python would have been proud of the response to the question on reliability,

“With regard to service reliability data, First operates services on a commercial basis, and continue to regard this data as commercially sensitive.

Certainly this data is key to understanding how services might be improved and the Council will continue to work with First and with other bus operators, to encourage them to demonstrate, including to the public, that network improvements are evidence based and that any changes made produce improvements.

So that’s a “No” then!

Ann Reid posed the following question to Cllr Dave Merrett at the last York City Council meeting

“In congratulating the Minster authorities on the success of their ‘York Minster Revealed’ project, does the Cabinet Member share my concern about the conflict between some fast moving cyclists and pedestrians in the new “Minster Piazza” on Deangate and would he agree to sign the area as a pedestrian priority zone?”

The response was,

“The Piazza scheme is a bold scheme in a very active area. The space allows for access by pedestrians, cyclists and horse drawn carriages, as previously. All users are expected to use the space with due consideration and respect.

Officers are hopeful that through these actions such initial concerns will be allayed”.

Lendal bridge – always been busy at 5;00pm

Liberal Democrat Councillor Paul Firth managed to squeeze the following information out of the Council at its last meeting.

“During the closure period on Lendal Bridge, what will be the average increase in:
• Mileage
• Journey time
• Cost
for private car drivers who otherwise would have used the bridge?”

The answer was:

Your question cannot be answered with certainty – that is why we are undertaking the trial.

There would also be an improvement in driving conditions with an increase in average speed from the current 17.4 kph to 17.8 kph in the Inner Ring Road and Water End cordon area (it would go down to 16.9 kph without any overall traffic reduction), an increase of 2.3% in average speed.

The figures are similar to those that we published last month.

They reveal huge potential increases in journey times and costs for residents living in the City centre.

The Council has now set the bridge closure date for 27th August

click to enlarge

York Liberal Democrats are urging Labour’s Transport Chief to listen to residents and think again about plans for a citywide 20mph speed limit.

Despite a recent consultation which saw only 7 out of 13,000 local people support the proposals, Labour’s Cabinet Member for Transport, today approved the £500,000 20mph roll-out in West York at a council meeting. Lib Dems are now ‘calling-in’ the decision and urging Labour to abandon the scheme or delay it until the new limits introduced earlier in the year in South Bank can be properly assessed.

Liberal Democrat Councillors Ann Reid, Lynn Jeffries and Nigel Ayre are formally calling for the decision to be reversed, meaning the issue will be re-considered at a special meeting of the cross-party Corporate Scrutiny Management Committee next month.

(more…)

Lendal bridge without traffic

Labour blocked a Liberal Democrat attempt to stop the Lendal Bridge closure last night despite a petition signed by over 1,200 local residents.

At the Full Council meeting a petition was presented for debate and the Lib Dems attempted to turn this into a binding vote of all councillors. However, Labour used their wafer-thin majority to block this move – meaning no vote was taken and the last chance to stop the controversial closure was missed.

Cllr Ann Reid, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Transport, commented after the meeting:

“It is very disappointing that despite a petition signed by over 1,200 local residents, Labour blocked a proper debate on their decision to close Lendal Bridge and are refusing to reconsider or even put their plans to a vote of all councillors. Public opinion has been ignored and it is a dark day for democracy and debate in York.”

The closure is due to come into effect in August. Lib Dems have argued that local businesses and residents should have been consulted before a decision was taken and estimates show that the closure will increase congestion in and around the city-centre.

The Lib Dems attempted to suspend standing orders in order to move the following motion:

“This council resolves that Lendal Bridge will not be closed to private vehicles at the present time.”

Labour Councillors voted not to consider the motion

1244 residents signed the petition against closure.

Several residents have written to the Council in an attempt to influence today’s decision on the introduction of a 20 mph speed limit in west York.

All the published representations are opposed to the proposal.

The representations can be read by clicking here

Residents have also responded to the Councils plans for the management of the open area and pond on Mayfield Grove.

Here the balance of representations is more even although the local Chase Residents group appear to have most backing (including Dringhouses Councillor Ann Reid).

Several residents have registered to speak on the two issues at the meeting

The meeting is open to the public (Friday 19th July 4:30pm at The Snow Room, West Offices).

Given the controversial nature of the decisions to be made, it is surprising that it is not being web cast (there again, perhaps it isn’t so surprising!).

Jo Ro crossing plan click to enlarge

Walking and cycling in the vicinity of Joseph Rowntree Secondary School have been reviewed by Council officials.

Pupils who live south of the school were found to have fewer direct facilities.

To address this, a highway improvement scheme has been developed to provide a raised zebra where most pedestrians cross, and off-road cycle links to give less confident cyclists an alternative on this busy narrow road.

There have been no objections to the principle of the scheme during consultation.