City of York Council (CYC) has today (Thursday 23 November) started a ten-week public consultation about future transport across York and surrounding villages.

This is the first time since 2010 that the Council has considered all aspects of transport together, rather than as individual projects. It has designed the consultation to be accessible and inclusive, and will run it on an online platform and at a series of in-person events and activities. The consultation will ask residents, businesses, tourists and commuters how they travel, how they would like to travel, and to give reasons for any change they would like to see.

Events before and after Christmas include accessible drop-in sessions in central York. The project team will visit libraries and schools in villages and rural areas.

A full list of events and activities, explanations of how to take part, and all the consultation materials and questions, is available here.

Drop-ins will take place at Friargate Meeting House, Friargate, York YO1 9RL as follows:

• Wednesday 6 December between 2pm and 7pm
• Saturday 9 December between 2pm and 5pm
• Wednesday 13 December between 9am and 5pm
• Monday 8 January between 2pm and 5pm
• Wednesday 10 January between 2pm and 7pm
• Saturday 20 January between 1pm and 5pm

The Council is inviting visits to its mobile library in local villages as follows:

• Monday 4 December – Skelton (Brecksfield) 2.40-3.50pm; Osbaldwick (the Leyes) 4.30-5.30pm
• Thursday 7 December – Acaster Malbis (Mount Pleasant, 10am – 10.45am), Askham Bryan (the pub, 11.05am – 11.15am), Askham Richard  (Rose & Crown, 11.25am – 11.54am), Hessay (12.40 – 12.50), Rufforth (Milestone Avenue, 1pm – 2pm)

The ten policy themes of the Council’s consultation are:

1. Accessibility – so that everyone can access the areas and facilities they need and want
2. Improving walking, wheelchair access, wheeling and cycling – so that these become real alternatives to driving a car
3. Shaping healthy places – offering a range of ways to move around and using the opportunity to provide better places for us to live, work and visit
4. Improving public transport – upgrading and improving our bus and rail services
5. Safeguarding the environment by cutting carbon, air pollution and noise – meeting climate change targets and improving the health of the city
6. Creating a Movement and Place plan – creating safe, connected transport networks for residents, businesses and visitors
7. Reducing car dependency – supporting people to change how they travel, and encourage those who can, to reduce their journeys by car
8. Improving freight and logistics – creating efficient access for businesses while reducing the impact of heavy vehicles
9. Effective maintenance and enforcement – so that people choosing sustainable travel are safe, and that cycling, walking and wheeling routes are well maintained
10. Monitoring the transport network and financing the changes –to ensure the effectiveness of our policies and attract funding to deliver York’s new transport strategy as effectively as possible.

York needs to prepare a new Local Transport Plan by summer 2024, and will use the consultation to inform the plan. This will enable it to work constructively the new mayor of the incoming York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. The Council expects to have finalised and approved the plan by Spring 2024, and will then put its case to government and ask for funding for improvements.

CYC is consulting about air quality in York, specifically on the proposed measures to improve air quality in its draft Fourth Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP4). The plan outlines actions over the next five years, which the Council believes go beyond health-based National Air Quality Objectives and move towards meeting World Health Organisation (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines. This consultation is available here.

Councillor Pete Kilbane, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economy and Transport at City of York Council, said: “Today’s launch marks the start of a really significant and far-reaching public consultation. We have ambitious targets to tackle climate change, including reducing carbon emissions from transport by 71% and reducing the number of miles travelled by car by 20% by 2030. This will not happen overnight and we know that if we are going to free up the roads for those who need to use them, we have to make improvements so that walking, cycling or taking the bus are reliable, practical and attractive options for those who can make the change. We also recognise that we need to better support our disabled residents and visitors.

“We have a wide range of ways you can take part, from accessible and wheelchair friendly drop-in sessions; school visits; our staff going out and about with the mobile library, and a comprehensive online portal. I’d really encourage everyone who travels in York to take part.”

Councillor Kate Ravilious, Joint Executive Member for the Environment and Climate Emergency, said: “Addressing climate change is crucial but it isn’t a goal on its own. We have learned and taken inspiration from other cities and put forward transport policies that bring multiple benefits including safer streets, a stronger economy, healthier spaces and cleaner air. We’re excited by the opportunities that this presents and are really looking forward to hearing the views of the city.”