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City of York Council |
Committee Minutes |
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MEETING |
Guildhall Ward Committee |
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DATE |
5 January 2026 |
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PRESENT |
COUNCILLORS Clarke, Melly and Merrett |
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APOLOGIES |
COUNCILLORS |
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1. Drop-in 6:30pm
2. Formal meeting start: welcome and introductions 7pm
The meeting was chaired by Councillor Dave Merrett who welcomed everyone and set out the housekeeping rules and reminded residents that the meeting was non-political. Councillor Merrett stressed the fact that a by-election is due in Heworth Ward, meaning heightened political sensitivity and that the meeting is open only to people who reside withing the Guildhall Ward and needs to avoid discussing Heworth ward and/or political matters.
3. Moving forward on transport in the City Centre 7:05pm
Tom Horner, Head of Active and sustainable Transport explained that alongside Park and Ride sites and Station Gateway, the Rougier Route proposal aims to further improve bus services punctuality in the city.
More that 1,000 of buses travel over three city centre bridges every day with the bulk using the Rougier street corridor. Confidence in bus service punctuality, especially commute to the city centre, or the train station is low. With new housing being built and York’s popularity growing there is a need for a bus service meeting those increasing demands and for journey times to reduce. The intention is to create a sustainable mode of transport which works for residents and visitors. Several potential improvements were explored, including creation of dedicated bus lanes, city centre bus priority, or focussing on the corridor with highest bus travel frequency and where the impact of delays is greatest. Having examined services approaching from east and west side of York via Rougier Street it became clear that removing through traffic is the only way to achieve bus reliability improvements.
Rougier Route proposal features three core design principles:
· Retention of vehicle access to all existing parking spaces and loading bays.
· Prioritisation of the movement of sustainable modes of travel led by the transport hierarchy.
· Delivery of bus journey time savings and making services more reliable.
A new bus loop will be created at the railway station providing space for services approaching from the east side of York.
Opening the Tower Street roundabout to buses was explored as part of modelling, however findings indicate that it would result in a gridlock of the city centre, hence this option is not being pursued.
As part of the proposal the area of George Hudson Street and Micklegate towards the bridge, highlighted in orange on the attached plan, will be transformed to a bus lane with bus gates. This will reduce the amount of traffic moving across the Ouse Bridge. Access will be maintained via an ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) technology.
The proposed transformation will result in more space for cyclists, additional bicycle parking and space for traders to set up outside encouraging people to spend more time in the area.
Changes to access restrictions on the south side of Bishophill, including residents access only at Victoria Bar will form part of the proposal. Private vehicles approaching over the bridge, or from Skeldergate will be able to access North Street, but not Micklegate, as per the traffic direction indicated with green arrows on the attached plan.
Consultation analysis is taking place over January and February and a report, including responses from the consultation. will be submitted to the Executive in spring 2026. If the proposal is approved an 18-month experimental trial period will be undertaken. The trial is envisaged to commence in summer 2026 and residents will be able to comment over the trial period. Appropriate signage informing about the ANPR will be installed and work undertaken with local businesses, hotels, Google and sat nav companies to advertise the trial. No fines will be issued over the initial 6 months of the trial, only a warning letter.
At this point Cllr Merrett invited questions in respect of the project.
Q – Will the additional traffic diverted onto Lendal Bridge have a negative impact on services on that route, such as bus numbers 1, 2, 5, 6?
A – The Council’s modelling suggests reduced traffic on Lendal due to traffic from Bootham not being able to use Lendal Bridge to cut through town. The reason why an 18-month trial period is proposed is to provide sufficient time to properly test. We wouldn’t want to negatively impact on other services.
Q – What advantages does the modelling suggests?
A – It is difficult to quantify. Our modelling indicates that services reliability will improve enabling buses to arrive and depart at a time indicated on the timetable, which is monitored by the traffic commissioner.
Q – Traffic light timing on Gillygate and Lord Mayor’s Walk seems to work well. Will traffic light timing be adjusted as part of the proposal?
A – Yes, traffic light timing around the project area i.e. on Rougier Street will be adjusted accordingly.
Q – Will car club vehicles be exempt?
A – We will add it to the list for consideration.
Q – Can the bus corridor be extended to Coppergate where there is an issue with traffic obstructions caused by taxis? Perhaps it could be expanded as far as The Pavement?
A – There is a specific budget for this project, but there might be an opportunity in the future. Pavement is on the list to look at separately.
Officers were thanked for their presentation and answering questions.
4. Huntington Road South road safety proposals 7:40pm
David Mercer, Highway Engineering Design Manager and Ben Potter, Highway Engineer explained that regular complaints are being received in respect road safety on Huntington Road. The area being examined is the section of Huntington Road between junctions with Lowther Street and Ramsay Close. There is a distinct lack of suitable pedestrian crossings, no footpath in some areas and the team are looking at improvement options via a danger reduction programme. Key concerns being raised by residents include parked vehicles being struck by passing vehicles, apparent lack of road width for two-way traffic, difficulty in parking in kerbside spaces, inconsiderate behaviour of motorists, vehicle speeding, increased traffic volume and insufficient pedestrian crossing facilities for school trips. The scheme is at feasibility stage and root causes of issues are being identified. The following issues have been identified during investigation:
· Carriageway widths - narrow lanes and an increase in car widths;
· Inappropriate Speed - good compliance with existing 30mph limit, but the speed is not appropriate for the environment;
· Lack of controlled crossing points - two uncontrolled crossing points within the site;
· Non-continuous pedestrian route - missing length of eastern footway outside 92 and 92a Huntington road.
At this stage the project proposes implementation of the following:
· Extension of 20mph zone for The Groves to include a length of Huntington Road, Gladstone Street and Dennison Street. This allows for introduction of vertical traffic calming without the need for additional warning signs.
· Introduction of one-way entry to Park Grove with exit via Lowther Street to reduce conflict at the junction. This allows Lowther Street and Park Grove junction mouths to be narrowed and raised tables introduced giving footway users more priority. To accommodate these changes, it will be necessary to relocate a parking bay on Neville Terrace to allow larger vehicles to navigate the bend more easily.
· Provision of a footway link to complete the missing section of footway on the eastern side of Huntington Road removing the need to cross when the river side path along the Foss is flooded. The inbound bus stop will be relocated to accommodate the footway.
· Upgrade the existing northern crossing point to a raised zebra crossing. To accommodate this the existing buildout would be extended and some parking relocated. Remove parking bay outside 22-38 Huntington Road, widen footway and provide a raised zebra crossing. Loss of parking at both locations will be mitigated with changes to parking bays throughout the area.
· Widening the carriageway to reduce the risk of vehicles being struck and make it easier for users to enter and exit their vehicles will require removal of parking spaces. Two options are being proposed at this stage:
o Option 1 removes the parking (16 spaces) on the western side of Huntington Road between Lowther Street and Park Grove. This allows the retention and minor widening of the verge an important bit of green space in the area. With mitigation measures this option reduces the available parking in the scheme area by 4 spaces.
o Option 2 includes localised carriageway widening on the western side of Huntington Road between Lowther Street and Park Grove. This option provides extra width between the trees to retain parking but results in the loss of verge. Some small areas of verge will be retained around the trees within green buildouts. With mitigation measures this option increases parking provision in the scheme area by 1 space.
To mitigate removal of parking bays on Huntington Road additional bays will be provided across the scheme area. Those parking bays will be dotted around the scheme area and not immediately outside houses.
Residents feedback on the proposed changes to parking arrangements will have a significant impact on how we proceed with the scheme. Any changes to residents parking zones and pay and display parking in the area is to be decided following official consultation with residents. Statutory consultation for any changes to Traffic Regulation Orders would then follow.
Additional proposals include:
· Bolt down traffic islands to protect parking bays between Park Grove and Grove Terrace Lane;
· Cycle symbols through the bend in Huntington road outside Grove Terrace to encourage cyclists to adopt a primary position and discourage overtaking;
· Minor pedestrian improvements and additional signage as required.
Formal consultation will commence at the end of January and feature an extensive leaflet drop across The Groves area, digital engagement and drop-in events. Today’s presentation is to introduce the scheme concepts and gather initial opinions from residents.
At this point Cllr Merrett invited questions and comments in respect of the project.
A resident commented that accidents outside Bagnalls, such as wing mirrors being hit, usually happen when vehicles travel at speed greater than 30mph, and proposed zebra crossing would slow the traffic down and improve the situation.
The same person asked why the existing pay and display parking outside Bagnalls can not be used to widen the carriageway as opposed to the proposed options which penalize residents. It was further added that changing Park Grove to one-way would increase traffic through the Groves. Cars from Park Grove would have to go around to the Lowther Street to exit onto Huntington Road which would create significant inconvenience for residents. Larger vehicles such as builders’ vans would struggle to navigate the proposed route at the road bends.
A comment was made that 20mph should be made a default for the whole city, except for key routes.
Q – Where would the proposed extension of 20mph zone start?
A – The new 20mph zone would start from the Monkgate roundabout. There is an ambition to roll out 20mph zones further in the city, however it is a staged approach.
Q – Could disabled parking bays be included as part of the scheme?
A – We can investigate that and will add this suggestion to the scheme proposals.
Q – Could more trees be planted along the river to green the area?
A – We will include this suggestion in the scheme proposals.
Q – Could some of the Bagnalls land be used for parking?
A – Land ownership issue would delay the scheme, but we can investigate that.
Q – Most accidents are caused by cars driving at speed and some motorists ignore speed limits such as 20mph zone. Traffic calming measure before the road bend would probably make a positive difference.
A – We will look at that as well as potential narrowing which could reduce vehicle speeds.
A suggestion was made to relocate white road marking in the centre of the Huntington Road carriageway to better take account of the parking and introduce some deflections to discourage cycling on pavements.
A suggestion was made for speeding cameras to be installed at each end to slow traffic down. An example of a village on A66 where this solution was implemented was brought up.
A – In response officers stated that they have no authority to install traffic speed cameras in York. York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership is actively looking at the issue and the Combined Authority consultation is ongoing. Comments about traffic speed cameras can be made under that consultation.
Q – Width of this section of Huntington Road is too narrow to accommodate two-way traffic. Installation of a pavement on the eastern side of the road will narrow it even further.
A – The proposal suggests removal of residents parking to accommodate pavement extension along that section. The bus stop will be retained where is it.
Q- Will emergency service vehicles be affected by speed calming measures?
A – We are looking at raised tables with a smooth profile which would make it easier for emergency vehicles to drive over them.
Q – Why is resident parking spaces removal opposite Bagnalls being proposed? It will penalise residents who use those spaces.
A – This would be undertaken to provide a wider carriageway, allow retention and minor widening of the verge which is an important bit of green space in the area. Existing trees would be retained within buildouts.
Q – Could the proposal include residents only parking after 8pm on that section of Huntington Road, as opposed to removal of the spaces altogether?
A – We are open to a debate about the proposal and final plans will be shaped following the official consultation.
Q – Could Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) be installed to help enforce the 20mph speed limit?
A – We would follow the VAS policy and look at implementation of those signs only if there was persistent non-compliance with the 20mph speed limit.
Q – Is the Monkbar roundabout part of this scheme?
A – Monkbar roundabout is a separate scheme which is in early draft and not ready for publication yet.
Q – Residents living along Huntington Road should be listened to and their views prioritised. Where do you propose they park when the parking spaces are removed?
A – There are mitigations to provide parking space within the area, however they would not be as close to houses as currently. The proposal will be officially consulted on and no decisions have been made yet.
Q – Will comments and suggestions offered this evening be fed into the official consultation?
A – Yes, all comments and suggestions from today will be fed into the official consultation and used to shape the final proposal.
Q - A pelican crossing with a red light triggered by any vehicle travelling at a speed greater than 30mph should be explored. This solution was noted by a resident while travelling in Scotland.
A – We will investigate this; however it is not a solution we are familiar with.
At this point Cllr Merrett thanked officers for their presentation and answering all the questions.
5. Have your say 8:20pm
Cllr Merrett asked residents if they had any questions or comments in relation to other local issues.
Q – Is there an update on what will happen with the Sainsburys site?
A – The developer is looking at options and planning application hasn’t been submitted yet. Comments can be made via the planning portal once a planning application is submitted.
Another resident commented that an application has been submitted for a Certificate of Lawfulness to reopen the car park even though it had been shut since Sainsbury’s closed and had only ever been used as ancillary to the shop use, not for general public car parking.
Q – Has any research been done regarding traffic movements from the Theatre, along Gillygate and Lord Mayor’s Walk following the introduction of the Groves LTN?
A – A study was undertaken at the time of the experimental order. That was followed by stage three road safety audit which is publicly available.
Q – Residents of Hungate are concerned about traffic from Q-Park Shambles continuing after Christmas.
A – We have raised that with officers and will follow it up.
Q – Three weeping willows along the Foss River have died and were subsequently removed. Can they be replaced?
A – CYC Arborist has a budget towards tree replacements and uses it to the optimum. We will make a note of that and investigate.
Q – Can anything be done to improve the situation with cars queuing to access the Hospital car park? Long queues block the road and have a negative impact on residents, environment and public transport.
A – We have raised this issue with officers on several occasions. A new transport investment strategy for the city is being produced and this issue is likely to feature in that.
A suggestion was made to discuss the issue with governors of York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, proposing restrictions on visitors’ access to the multi storey carpark.
A – There are a number of mitigations that could be implemented, and representations will be made to try to resolve the issue.
Q – Could the wildflower meadow within Clarence Gardens be made more accessible for people? Perhaps a path could be mown across the middle for people to walk?
A – Introduction of the wildflower meadow was agreed as part of the park management plan. It is relatively new, and it could explored how to make it more accessible without a negative impact on flowers.
Date of next meeting
Before closing the meeting Cllr Merrett invited everyone to the next Ward Committee which will be held on 22nd of April with a focus on volunteering and feature an update on ward funded schemes and plans for the year ahead. The meeting will be held at St Thomas’ Church on Lowther Street.
, Chair
[The meeting started at Time Not Specifiedand finished at Time Not Specified].