Agenda item

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak on agenda items or on matters within the remit of the committee.

Please note that our registration deadlines have changed to 2 working days before the meeting. The deadline for registering at this meeting is at 5.00pm on Friday 8 March 2024.

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Webcasting of Public Meetings

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It was reported that there had been 7 registrations to speak at the session under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Andy D’Agorne spoke on agenda item 4. He discussed the options considered and effectiveness in achieving Transport hierarchy objectives, expressing concern that £35,000 of the £100,000 budget had already been spent on “ineffective measures”. Mr D’Agorne conceded that although he had previously approved this work as executive member, the objectives were not being completed by the proposed plan and the plan should be deferred for at least a month to take remedial action to avoid further unnecessary spending.

Andrew Mortimer spoke on agenda item 4; he stated that there the Active Travel Scheme was essentially a “yes or no” decision before the member without different options, due to the available budget. He suggested the executive member should approve officers recommendations but take into consideration additional factors such as selfish/inconsiderate drivers and school pick up times. He also suggested that there was no mention in the report about enforcement; urging that this should be considered, especially in the weeks following introduction. He noted that there was nothing in the scheme on how further participation in walking and cycling to school would be measured. Finally he suggested that any new signage should be non-intrusive and must be viewable at busy times and bollards must look appropriate to the local area.

Cllr Fenton Spoke on agenda item 5, welcoming the report and commending continuity between the prior executive and the present executive in completing work on this item. He expressed concern over an outstanding accessibility issue – specifically with barriers obstructing cyclists carrying children on their bikes who would have to tip bikes to get under them.

John Pybus, landlord of the Blue Bell pub and author of the petition, spoke on agenda item 7 and the benefits of pedestrianising Fossgate; he noted that the report from officers had not been directly communicated to the petitioners, instead they had heard about it via the York Press. He stated that the report only discussed negative financial impact of changes to the council and not the benefits of increased business rates. He said that the report discussed previous public consultation but commented that this had been in 2017, and there had been significant cultural changes since then; café culture has become accepted now and heating in winter is paid for by the café in summer which is significant after energy price increases caused by war in Ukraine.

Anthony Brennan spoke on agenda item 7, supporting the petition; he emphasised to the executive member and officers that Fossgate was a cultural and commercial hub, and that this aspect was more important than transport considerations, asking that the needs of people be prioritised over those of traffic flow.

Sarah Lakin, representing the Fossgate Social, spoke on agenda item 7, supporting the petition; she stated that pedestrianisation would strengthen the community following the established model of the Fossgate festival, which required removal of traffic for the day.  She suggested that a previous consultation had indicated that that raising the road surface level with the curb made journey through town more inclusive for visually impaired people. She also suggested that pedestrianisation would help the council to more easily meet Ultra Low Emmision Zone targets.

Cllr Steward spoke on agenda item 6. He stated that the works to the bridge were diverting Bishopthorpe traffic through Copmanthorpe including Heavy Goods Vehicles. He hoped traffic would revert to Bishopthorpe Bridge on conclusion of the works, as he believed it was far safer for heavy vehicles to go through Bishopthorpe than smaller villages. Cllr Steward expressed a preference for option 5 on this item. He queried why officers were still “establishing ownership of the bridge” in the report and proposed use of vehicle activated sign, “Slow” road markings and to reopening of the bridge on a one-way basis.