Annex B: Proposed detailed policies

Policy focus area 1: Accessibility - Shape a city that is accessible to everyone – so that everyone, including young people, women, disabled people and anyone with a protected characteristic, is able to access all the facilities which they need, and all areas of the city, and its villages, have accessible, reliable and affordable bus services to key destinations. 

Member Workshop Ideas:

Policy idea 1.1 – provide Blue Badge parking spaces near significant locations within the city centre, including the foot streets area, and in all district and village centres.  Our target is to have BB parking spaces within 150m of significant trip attractors.

Policy idea 1.2 – Cycle parking at significant locations within the city centre and in all district and village centres and at employers, leisure sites, training, education etc.  Our aim is to provide cycle parking as near as practically possible to significant locations – ideally within 50m.

Policy idea 1.3 – Accessible design. Out target is to develop our walking, wheeling and cycle networks to accommodate wheelchair users, mobility scooter users, riders of adapted cycles and family/cargo bikes, while ensuring safety for those with sight loss.  This will include the removal of inaccessible barriers and the provision of dropped kerbs.

Policy idea 1.4 – Accessible public transport. Work with stakeholders to improve accessibility of public transport for all users, and to increase the amount of accessible seating. We will work with taxi and private hire providers to increase the number of wheelchair accessible taxis and private hire vehicles in York.  We will also continue to improve bus stops and shelters to improve personal security (e.g. by ensuring adequate lighting levels).  We will work with the rail industry to improve the accessibility of York and Poppleton Stations.

Policy idea 1.5 – We will aim to provide seating at 50m intervals within the footstreet area and in all district and village centres, and the routes to then, to allow people to rest during their journeys.

Policy focus area 2: Improve walking, wheeling and cycling – so that cycling, walking and wheeling become more attractive and offer better alternatives to the car. Key to this will be creating a continuous network of safe and high-quality cycle, walking and wheeling routes, and giving all active travel users greater priority on roads and at junctions. Effectively integrating new modes like e-bikes into York’s transport network will also be important. These changes will achieve a doubling of active travel journeys by 2030.

Member Workshop Ideas:

Policy idea 2.1 – Maintain York’s Transport User Hierarchy, first adopted in 1989, and ensure that it is applied appropriately and consistently in all scheme designs, policy decisions and funding allocations.

Policy idea 2.2 – Create a priority walking, and wheeling network, jointly with partners including the disabled community, walking and environmental groups.  This network will offer safe, high quality routes to the city centre, all district and village centres, and schools, colleges and places of employment.  We envisage this network covering the whole city to provide a joined up network. 

Policy idea 2.3 – Develop a programme to upgrade pedestrian facilities on all parts of the priority walking and wheeling network, to include greater priority and reduced delay at traffic signal crossings, countdown signals at major crossings, priority at crossings of side roads, removal of barriers and guardrails and significantly improved pavement maintenance.  An initial stage will improve crossings at all junctions on what is now the inner ring road.

Policy idea 2.4 – Comprehensively upgrade the city centre footstreet network to provide continuous level surfaces, clearly de-lineated to indicate where vehicles are permitted.  We will look to eliminate footways which are narrow, uneven, poorly drained or with cross slopes.

Policy idea 2.5 – Create a connected priority cycling network jointly with partners including the disabled community, cycling and environmental groups.   We envisage this network being comprehensive and continuous, and ensuring effective routes to and through the city centre, and to district and village centres, and schools, colleges and places of employment.

Policy idea 2.6 – Develop a programme to upgrade cycling facilities on all parts of the priority cycle network, to include continuous cycle lanes, segregated where appropriate, priority at traffic signals, safe provision to negotiate roundabouts and regular maintenance to ensure that surfaces, signs and markings are safe.  An initial stage will involve upgrading one radial route into the city centre and one route linking a village to inner York; these will serve as demonstrators of what can be achieved elsewhere.  We will also identify “problem areas” for cyclists and look to improve them.

Policy idea 2.7 – Community support. Recognise that some groups of people face more barriers to walking, wheeling and cycling. Identify the barriers (such as lack of cycle parking, lack of confidence) and work with these communities to ensure that everyone has equal access to walk, wheel and cycle. (Eg cycle training schemes, cycle repair hubs, accessible cycle parking).

Policy idea 2.8 – Support the development and use of e-bikes, and expand micromobility options such as e-scooters where appropriate to complement other modes of transport.

Policy focus area 3: Shape Healthy Places: – to encourage physical activity by ensuring that all communities in York are inclusive, feel safe and offer all the facilities which people need on a daily basis within easy reach whether walking, wheeling, cycling or travelling by public transport. We will improve district centres so that people can meet more of their shopping, work and leisure needs locally, without having to travel by car.  We will improve streets and spaces in York to help us adapt to future climate change and for the benefits of all users, including people who have limited mobility, hearing or sight loss.  We will focus on planting, lighting, surfaces and the quality and feel of streets and spaces in York.  We will improve broadband connectivity to enable people to work, study and shop from home.

Member Workshop Ideas:

Policy idea 3.1 – Review each existing community and its district centre and aim to ensure that it has all key facilities within walking, wheeling or cycling distance, and effective public transport for longer distance journeys. 

Policy idea 3.2 – Aim to provide each centre with a communications, mobility and delivery hub for parcels, and facilities such as toilets, safe cycle storage, pushchair, mobility scooter and cycle hire and repair workshops. 

Policy idea 3.3 – Adopt the same principles for all new developments, including all strategic sites in the Local Plan.  Produce a Supplementary Planning Document to specify these requirements, and those covered in other Key Policy Areas.

Policy idea 3.4 – Embed the Healthy Streets approach into relevant guidance and decision making to create high quality public space and encourage walking, wheeling and cycling.

Policy idea 3.5 – Safe streets. Use traffic measures such as ‘Home Zones’ to create safe streets for walking and cycling. Identify the streets within communities that need intervention from the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan. Encourage new developments to embed safe streets into the design from the outset.  Reflect these Safe Streets in the wider Movement and Place Plan

Policy idea 3.6 – Adopt the Vision Zero approach, seeking to eliminate all fatalities and serious injuries on York’s roads. Work with partners, such as North Yorkshire Police, and stakeholders to use all tools available to reach this goal.  This work will include infrastructure design, behaviour change, technology, legislation and enforcement.

Policy idea 3.7 – Require transport schemes and infrastructure projects to bring about health benefits, with Health Impact Assessments required for all larger scale infrastructure projects and major schemes.

Policy idea 3.8 – Promote the use of the ‘Decide and Provide’ approach in planning policy development to mitigate against development which increases car traffic in York.

Policy focus area 4: Improving Public Transport: so that all areas of the city have good and reliable public transport access. Key to this will be extending the bus network, ensuring effective and reliable early and late services when people need them, and upgrading high frequency bus services – in some cases into bus rapid transit services or possibly light rail transit systems.  We will also work to upgrade heavy rail services where they play a local role or support our other policies. Not only will this result in a 50% or greater increase in bus patronage by 2030, it will also enhance the viability of public transport and protect its future.

Member Workshop Ideas:

Policy idea 4.1 – Work with bus operators to create a comprehensive network of bus services, accessible to as many residents and visitors as possible, and providing services at weekends and for the night-time economy.  Set challenging targets for increased bus access, and ensure that all low-income areas are appropriately served.  Ensure that all new development is designed for bus access, with appropriate service frequencies provided from the outset.  Consider alternative models of service provision  (e.g. franchising) if it is not possible to achieve the desired network of services commercially.

Policy idea 4.2 - Use infrastructure design and network management to increase the reliability and efficiency of bus services. Set challenging targets for increased bus reliability. As a first step, provide a dedicated priority route for buses, and other sustainable transport, across the city centre, including effective enforcement of existing regulations in Piccadilly and Pavement.

Policy idea 4.3 – Work with local communities to obtain funding to develop community transport schemes such as community minibuses, dial-a-ride and car clubs and share schemes, particularly to fill any gaps in the bus network.  Consider the introduction of a shuttle bus in the footstreets area of the city centre.

Policy idea 4.4 – Work with Park & Ride operators to deliver an enhanced commercially viable service with the aim of increasing the use of Park & Ride buses, and develop Park and Ride sites as access hubs for local communities and villages and for inter-urban buses and coaches. Use all tools available including infrastructure design, network management, route planning and car parking charges to drive up patronage and maximise the reliability and efficiency of the Park and Ride services.

Policy idea 4.5 – Develop a rail strategy to guide the approach to rail investment and priorities within York, with the aim of increasing passenger numbers on rail services and identifying opportunities for enhanced or new routes and services.

Policy idea 4.6 – Ensure that the redesign of the Railway Station makes it more sustainable, better able to support walking, wheeling, cycling and buses, and less dependent on car access.  Ensure that Poppleton and the proposed station at Haxby are at the centre of effective walk/ wheel/ cycle/ bus networks.

Policy idea 4.7 – Enable multi-modal journeys, using all opportunities to improve interchange facilities across the bus network (such as cycle parking provision and shelters) and work with stakeholders to explore multi-operator ticketing, and provision for cycles, wheelchairs and mobility aids on buses and trains.

Policy idea 4.8 – Develop an integrated fares policy for all road-based public transport which encourages and rewards frequent use and makes bus use affordable for young people and low-income households.

Policy idea 4.9 – work with the taxi/ private hire trades to encourage greater provision of wheelchair accessible, low emission vehicles in York.

Policy idea 4.10 – consider the scope for providing water-based access to York city centre from Rawcliffe Bar park and ride – e.g. using the existing tour boat service or water taxis – to provide an attractive alternative to driving into York for visitors.

Policy focus area 5: Safeguarding our environment by cutting carbon, air pollution and noise - we will encourage the take-up of electric vehicles because they have no tailpipe emissions. However, we know that simply converting existing internal combustion-engine trips to electric vehicle trips will not be enough to meet Climate Change targets, reduce congestion, or improve air quality and health sufficiently. We must achieve reductions in the absolute number of car miles travelled too.

Member Workshop Ideas:

Policy idea 5.1 – Continue to expand public EV charging facilities to keep pace with the demand for public charging, both by commuters and visitors and for those residents without access to residential off-street charging.  This will be a development of CYC’s existing EV Charging Strategy

Policy idea 5.2 – use the powers available to local authorities to incentivise EV/ hybrid replacement of ICE engine vehicles in York – for example through differential parking charges

Policy idea 5.3 – Expand the current Bus Clean Air Zone to cover commercial vehicles if required to meet air quality targets.   Consider further action in locations where traffic emissions are a significant contributor to poor air quality and noise.

Policy idea 5.4 – Follow the embodied carbon reduction hierarchy developed by Oxfordshire Council’s Local Transport and Connectivity Plan 2022 - 2050. Take embodied carbon and induced travel demand into account when assessing infrastructure projects and calculating their carbon impact and contribution to York’s net zero carbon goal.

Policy idea 5.5 – Support development of green infrastructure along transport corridors with the aim of delivering a transport network that achieves and where possible exceeds government and local biodiversity net gain targets.

Policy idea 5.6 – continue the work to convert CYC’s own vehicle fleet to electric vehicles where this is practical and suitable vehicles are available.

Policy idea 5.7 – consider how new developments and new transport infrastructure in York can be used to support the environment – e.g. through sustainable drainage, urban cooling etc

Policy idea 5.8 – work with York’s tourism/visitor sector to maximise sustainable transport use by visitors – both for reaching York and travelling around the city once visitors have arrived.

Policy focus area 6: Manage the road network for Movement and Place – we will develop a Movement and Place Plan which reallocates road-space to create safe and connected networks for walking, wheeling, cycling, public transport, cars and freight for residents, businesses and visitors alike – helping deliver York’s economic and environmental strategies and draft Local Plan by making walking, wheeling and cycling more attractive and buses more reliable. The Movement and Place Plan will also identify how best to balance the needs of streets as travel corridors and as places where people live, shop, go to school and enjoy their leisure. It will facilitate all kinds of journey including trips to and from outside of the city, and will recognise York’s place in the wider region.  A key to the Movement and Place Plan will be using York’s new traffic models to minimise congestion, along with new ways to manage and construct highways to minimise their environmental impacts and work with partners to deliver any required interventions and schemes.

Member Workshop Ideas:

Policy idea 6.1 – Commission a Movement and Place Plan for York which identifies how best to balance the needs of streets to enable people to travel and as places where people live, shop and enjoy their leisure.  Include a specific network plan for each mode of transport (private vehicles, freight vehicles, public transport, emergency services and active travel modes).  As part of this Plan, critically assess the future role of what is now the inner ring road.

Policy idea 6.2– Identify the locations where Movement and Place are most seriously in conflict, such as Gillygate, and design schemes to take early action which are consistent with the Movement and Place Plan.

Policy idea 6.3 – Use network management tools, including the city’s Urban Traffic Management Control system and its Smart Travel Evolution Programme to actively manage the network, tackling congestion and air pollution, maintaining accessibility for disabled transport users and promoting and prioritising the use of walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport.

Policy idea 6.4 – To make travel safer for pedestrians, wheelers and cyclists, adopt 20mph as the default speed limit for all roads through residential areas, near schools, in villages and at retail areas and parks.

Policy idea 6.5 – Maintain our highway assets (including walking, wheeling and cycling routes) in line with the priorities outlined in the York transport hierarchy and with the aim of minimising disruption and delay and increasing the reliability of the network.

Policy idea 6.6 – Adopt the ‘Decide and Provide’ approach rather than ‘Predict and Provide’ when designing transport infrastructure and junction and road improvement schemes. Only consider road capacity schemes after all other options have been explored.   Work with developers to obtain funding to upgrade sustainable travel networks to and from new developments, in-line with the policies in the draft Local Plan.

Policy idea 6.7 – Futureproof our transport network for emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).

Policy focus area 7: Reduce car dependency - we will provide safe and comprehensive networks so that alternatives to the car are the obvious choice for a growing proportion of transport users, whilst enabling those who have to use motorised vehicles to get about more easily. We will manage parking to provide access for shops and business, while discouraging car use for journeys which could be made by sustainable modes. New developments will be planned so that active travel and public transport are the obvious choice. We will also promote behavioural change by supporting people as they switch travel modes, for example, through travel planning. Together these changes will reduce the number of miles travelled on York’s roads by at least 20% by 2030.

Member Workshop Ideas:

Policy idea 7.1 – Encourage walking, wheeling and cycling to school and work by working with schools and employers, helping to develop travel plans, improving way-finding, and considering measures such as school streets and ‘park and stride’.  We will develop case studies to show how many people can easily live less car dependent lives – often reducing their expenditure on transport and living more active lives in the process.

Policy idea 7.2 – Support businesses and organisations operating within the city to reduce their transport footprint. (Eg staff travel plans, sustainable transport options to business parks, cycle lockers for businesses.)  Work with developers and businesses to create and implement effective travel plans.

Policy idea 7.3– Develop a wider set of campaigns such as car-free days to encourage people to consider alternatives to the car.

Policy idea 7.4 -  Promote zero emission car share and car clubs to reduce the need for car ownership. Aim to have a car share scheme or car club in all suburbs and villages around York and within 500m of where most people live, and in new developments.

Policy idea 7.5 Develop a parking strategy to cover all publicly available parking within  400m of the city centre, which assesses parking needs and sets parking charges designed to make it more attractive to use Park and Ride or the bus, or to walk, wheel or cycle.  Set parking supply to satisfy requirements for essential journeys to the city centre, and take steps to enhance the quality of that parking provision.

Policy idea 7.6 – Extend residents’ parking zones to cover all areas of the city which are currently used for long-stay parking for non-residents.

Policy idea 7.7 – Review the parking stock in private ownership within 400m of the city centre, and work with stakeholders to develop policies which encourage patterns of use consistent with the aims of Policy idea 5.

Policy idea 7.8 – Adopt standards for maximum levels of parking provision in new developments which are consistent with the objectives of this Local Transport Strategy and the draft Local Plan, and encourage developers to reduce parking provision to below these maximum standards when considering planning applications.

Policy 7.9 – continue the work of I-travel York in publicising sustainable transport options and developing travel plans.

Policy focus area 8: Improving freight & logistics - so that York’s businesses have efficient access for their supplies, goods and services, while at the same time reducing the impact of heavy lorries and light goods vehicles on carbon emissions, air pollution, safety and damage to heritage.

Member Workshop Ideas:

Policy idea 8.1 – Develop a freight and logistics strategy based on the principles of net-zero emissions, improved air quality, safe movement, working in partnership, protecting assets and buildings, freight consolidation and efficiency of movement. Within the strategy develop different plans for long distance, local and last-mile movement. 

Policy idea 8.2 – Provide one or more transhipment facilities on the edge of footstreets area, and seek to limit all freight movements within the city centre to electric vehicles of 3.5T or less.  Promote and support the use of cargo bikes within the city centre and in district and village centres.

Policy idea 8.3 – Designate a limited road network for freight vehicles of over 7.5T, which ensures access to all key destinations, including transhipment facilities, but avoids undue use of narrower inner city streets and residential roads.  Ensure that this network is maintained to meet the needs of such vehicles.

Policy Focus Area 9: Effective maintenance and enforcement and management of streetworks – so that the condition of York’s transport networks enables the transition to greater use of sustainable transport.  Enforcement of traffic rules and effective management of street-works will be a key tool in achieving our stated objectives.

Member Workshop Ideas:

Policy idea 9.1 – increase maintenance and renewals on footways and cycleways and on the margins of roads used by many cyclists

Policy idea 9.2 – carefully consider where greater enforcement of traffic offences could make a beneficial contribution to traffic management in York

Policy Focus Area 10 – Monitoring the transport network and financing the changes

Policy idea 10.1 – Develop, maintain and use effective strategic modelling tools which assess the impacts of proposed policies on the objectives of this Local Transport Strategy, and use such tools both to appraise such policies to justify funding and regularly to appraise the overall Strategy.

Policy 10.2 – Draw up a monitoring and evaluation plan which measures impacts on the objectives of this Local Transport Strategy, as well as on changing patterns in transport behaviour, on an annual basis. Include measures that identify the impact of transport schemes on people with protected characteristics, and use this data to improve inclusivity over time.

Policy 10.3 –  Place all results of the annual monitoring programme in the public domain, so that residents and businesses are fully aware of the impact of the Strategy, and use the results to assess performance and fine-tune the Strategy as necessary.

Policy 10.4 – Conduct a detailed assessment of the capital and revenue funding requirements of the Strategy, assess the extent to which these could be met from Council resources, funds available to the Mayoral Combined Authority, and conventional opportunities for bidding for government funding.  Identify the other potential sources of funding, including enhanced parking revenues (as a result of Policy 7.5), other transport-related revenue sources being applied by other local authorities.

Policy 10.5 – Develop and maintain lists of projects for each mode (walking and wheeling, cycling, buses, freight and general traffic), in broad order of cost-effectiveness, and use those lists to bid for specific funding as opportunities arise.