York Green Party welcomes this significant progress, addressing the urgent need to tackle congestion and pollution, rescue our precarious bus services from spiralling into decline and following through on cross-party support for York’s 10 year strategies for Climate Change, Economy and Health that was adopted under the previous administration in 2022, following Green Party pressure.
The reports today are particularly welcome, adopting a clear vision and pathway through a Movement and Place Plan Framework, referenced against proven best practice from comparator cities with similar challenges and traffic reduction targets. This will be vital to decouple new development from greater use of private cars and consequent congestion. [As other speakers point out, the Civic Trust produced an excellent model strategy over two years ago which is largely consistent with the current approach recommended today.]
However the Trust made clear the importance of regular targets and benchmarks against which to measure the impact of each specific measure – something so far still missing from this strategy.
We now need to see change progressing at pace. The very positive outcome from the Transport Conversation, the positive tone of these reports pushing forward radical and bold changes, coming as they do on the heels of a new Labour government, a Labour Mayor and two Labour MPs should surely mean there’s no reason for further delay. Notably vital bus priority measures must be progressed with the Bus Service Improvement Plan funds we have already secured and public comments invited on the draft Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, sat on the shelf since Jan this year.
The MIMA City Centre Access report is also very welcome in maintaining focus on this vital issue. We welcome the recommendation to address access for disabled people who use a cycle as a mobility aid, and the continued focus on improving shop mobility, seating, dropped kerbs and blue badge parking. Again, there should be no reason for delay in getting on with this work, much of which was already either started or planned well over a year ago. It’s a shame that there is scant reference to trialling a free city centre shuttle bus or restoring a dial-a-ride service: Surprising given the council’s cross-party commitment to the social model of disability, when such measures would help to enable better, inclusive access for a very wide range of elderly and disabled people, whether residents or visitors.
NOTE Proposals for Implementing the Movement and Place Plan are due be discussed by a scrutiny committee on Sept 24th, with papers released on Sept 17th 2024:
