York Cordon draws much closer to the green light
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE YORK Cordon came a step closer to reality last week when North Yorkshire County Council's Highways and Transportadon Committee asked its county surveyor to devise a workable plan.
Surveyor Colonel Gerald Leech, who has already told councillors that a ban on through heavy traffic will have only marginal effect on York, is to prepare a report on the scheme's implications in time for a council meeting in February.
Exact details of a ban have yet to be worked out, but councillors have talked about a zonal ban on through lorries in an area bounded by the Al, A64, A19, and A168 to the north and west of York.
Its main aim is to reduce the amount of through traffic on the Teesside-Humberside traffic corridor, but Mr Leech has already told the council that only 13 per cent of heavy lorry traffic in York makes through journeys. The rest is generated by business in the city.
According to the Freight Transport Association's Don McIntyre, the ban will probably apply to a threeor fiveton limit, as these are the only two signs approved by the Department of Transport. The A58 Yorkshire ban affects vehicles above five tons, and may be used as a model for the York scheme.
At last week's meeting, several councillors spoke out against the scheme. Councillor Charles Hoare said: "This cannot be done properly. I have every sympathy with York, but this scheme is nonsense and a waste of money."
Liberal Councillor Steve Galloway said that he doubted whether the scheme would substantially reduce the number of lorries in the city; and Councillor Robert Bray said there was a spin-off effect to be considered. "We have an almost identical issue at Harrogate." Colonel Leech warned that councillors would be accused of not having done a thorough job on studying the problem if they did not approve a further report.
FTA says that the problem can be solved by completing the city's ring road system.