Looking for Residents of York and visitors

[elster]

I am looking for a bit of help from York resident and regular visitors on how York could get moving again.

The current official position on the transport committee is that they want to slow it to a stop as much as possible to encourage bus and bike use.

My stance is the opposite, as we think if we get the traffic moving then bikes are safer and pedestrians are safer as well as less pollution.

What would you suggest?

A few things I would like to consider:

• Cycle lane at Clifton Green
• The quantity of traffic lights on Water End
• Blossom Street Junction
• Turning traffic lights off?

So hit me with your suggestions

Edited by elster on Thursday 25th November 21:30

[wildoliver]

One thing that always surprises me is that cycle paths are usually on roads, where the closing speed of a car to bike is much higher than the closing speed of ped to bike. The obvious place for them is wide pavements, in fact York is better than most cities in this respect already, but still some way to go (try driving down retreat for a good example).

Less traffic lights = smoother moving traffic which means less polution, less noise, less wear and tear and less stress for drivers, because drivers are less stressed they aren't rushing around so speed bumps can be pulled out too. That's my take on it.

[sambaman]

you think im going to give up driving my lambo for a bus...............ahahahhahahahahahahahahhhahhahahahahhahahahahahahahhhahahhaahahah

[elster]

sambaman said:

you think im going to give up driving my lambo for a bus...............ahahahhahahahahahahahahhhahhahahahahhahahahahahahahhhahahhaahahah

This is has been the policy for the Lib Dems as they run the council and have implemented as much to "force" people to use public transport. Labour councillors support it.

However what would you change to get things moving again, also bearing in mind we have £112 million defecit, so no money to actually spend on new stuff.

[ellroy]

Cut the number and size of busses.

Fair enough for getting people in and out at the start and end of the day, but the rest of the day, particularly during the working week, they swan about with nobody on the bloody things, bar the driver.

As for the size of those double length things.....

[TooLateForAName]

TBH I think encouraging people not to drive in York is a good thing. The reality is that the there is far too much traffic for the place to cope with. Before the P&R system the centre was a total nightmare (as opposed to the minor nightmare it is now).

You might have a look at what you could do with one way systems helping traffic flow.

There were traffic census things not so long ago - what were the results?

[alanyork]

why would you want to turn traffic lights off , Yorks very bad with them.

[Escort2dr]

Driving in York is a pain. If it is made more difficult to come in by car, I will stop coming in and spending my money in the city. It's that simple. Maybe they should realise that others will do the same?

[delboy735]

Have an "accidental" power cut to all traffic lights in and around York, and just study the camera footage.You'll be amazed at how well everything flows when drivers have to use logic, and think about their manouvre before comitting. Then suggest removal of all traffic lights, and build roundabouts through-out at busy junctions, leaving all the rest as traditional junctions.
Then remove all buses except during rush hour.
To free up some roads, fine motorists who insist on parking their cars on the roads instead of in their driveways!
Make park and ride compulsory for people who work in the city, but live outside the city, and leave city centre car parks for shoppers to use.Monitor this carefully.









Bloody hell, gone a bit mad there haven't I. Oh well.

[elster]

ellroy said:

Cut the number and size of busses.

Fair enough for getting people in and out at the start and end of the day, but the rest of the day, particularly during the working week, they swan about with nobody on the bloody things, bar the driver.

As for the size of those double length things.....

If any party other than the Lib Dems get in the stupid FTR buses will be gone. A ridiculous idea for a small city.

TooLateForAName said:

You might have a look at what you could do with one way systems helping traffic flow.

There were traffic census things not so long ago - what were the results?

What like the inner ring road?

I haven't seen the results of the census yet, I doubt anyone will apart from the snippets shown in April 2011 with LTP3.

alanyork said:

why would you want to turn traffic lights off , Yorks very bad with them.

As junctions usually work a lot better when you turn the traffic lights off, it cuts down on queued traffic. This can be seen in recent times when Blossom Street, Clifton Green and Bootham lights were out on seperate occasions the traffic was minimal.

[gemini]

Ban all traffic from enterig t ecity unless the vehcile is permitted
(by official permit)

The P+R is great for visitors / workers

At the same time install more tables and chairs at the waterside and increase the numbers of hours of sunshine per day

[elster]

gemini said:

Ban all traffic from enterig t ecity unless the vehcile is permitted
(by official permit)

The P+R is great for visitors / workers

At the same time install more tables and chairs at the waterside and increase the numbers of hours of sunshine per day

Did you read the Yorkshire Forward future report? That was pretty much along those lines.

What would you do about a delivery?

[ellroy]

elster said:

gemini said:

Ban all traffic from enterig t ecity unless the vehcile is permitted
(by official permit)

The P+R is great for visitors / workers

At the same time install more tables and chairs at the waterside and increase the numbers of hours of sunshine per day

Did you read the Yorkshire Forward future report? That was pretty much along those lines.

What would you do about a delivery?

I kind of agree with Rich on this, but please don't forget some of us live inside the city walls and need a car for work etc. So some kind of residents permit, and for personal visitors/deliveries, would possibly work.

[C2look]

I'd like to see the cycle lane on Clifton Green disappear, the traffic is awful at peak times due to this. It's like Yorks version of the M4 bus lane, the ratio of bikes v cars that use that route is seriuosly out of scale.

[supersport]

Get rid of those stupid purple bendy things, and who has paid for some of the non bendy ones to be painted purple recently, us by any chance? Why was the Micklegate Bar junction re-profiled, was it to make it easy for oversized empty bendy buses to turn left without taking up two lanes and struggling around traffic islands. Who paid for that lot?

Stop putting in stupid traffic lights that generate queues - the new ones in Heslington outside the new campus, which tt came up with them, now the queues are ten times longer for no good reason.

Which idiot decided that cars can't park at the University? Now cars are abandoned all over the place.

Make the buses cheaper and not so damn meandering, 1 hour plus door to door for £4+ is just not going to happen, I can walk it quicker, let alone by bike or car.

Why are buses so expensive and so badly driven. This also applies for taxis, how come so called professional drivers are so appalling at it. I have lost count of the number of times a bus has tried to run me down, and that is a pedestrian on a foot path back from the curb.

I will stop now as I can feel a rant coming on.

[alanyork]

alanyork said:

why would you want to turn traffic lights off , Yorks very bad with them.

As junctions usually work a lot better when you turn the traffic lights off, it cuts down on queued traffic. This can be seen in recent times when Blossom Street, Clifton Green and Bootham lights were out on seperate occasions the traffic was minimal.

I live and work in york you are wrong about the lights, I drive through all area,s of York all day long . the lights are needed, imo

[elster]

ellroy said:

elster said:

gemini said:

Ban all traffic from enterig t ecity unless the vehcile is permitted
(by official permit)

The P+R is great for visitors / workers

At the same time install more tables and chairs at the waterside and increase the numbers of hours of sunshine per day

Did you read the Yorkshire Forward future report? That was pretty much along those lines.

What would you do about a delivery?

I kind of agree with Rich on this, but please don't forget some of us live inside the city walls and need a car for work etc. So some kind of residents permit, and for personal visitors/deliveries, would possibly work.

I assume he meant the city as the outer ring road.

Buses and bikes only in the inner ring road?

C2look said:

I'd like to see the cycle lane on Clifton Green disappear, the traffic is awful at peak times due to this. It's like Yorks version of the M4 bus lane, the ratio of bikes v cars that use that route is seriuosly out of scale.

Completely agree.

There is £600k wasted.

supersport said:

Get rid of those stupid purple bendy things, and who has paid for some of the non bendy ones to be painted purple recently, us by any chance? Why was the Micklegate Bar junction re-profiled, was it to make it easy for oversized empty bendy buses to turn left without taking up two lanes and struggling around traffic islands. Who paid for that lot?

Stop putting in stupid traffic lights that generate queues - the new ones in Heslington outside the new campus, which tt came up with them, now the queues are ten times longer for no good reason.

Which idiot decided that cars can't park at the University? Now cars are abandoned all over the place.

Make the buses cheaper and not so damn meandering, 1 hour plus door to door for £4+ is just not going to happen, I can walk it quicker, let alone by bike or car.

Why are buses so expensive and so badly driven. This also applies for taxis, how come so called professional drivers are so appalling at it. I have lost count of the number of times a bus has tried to run me down, and that is a pedestrian on a foot path back from the curb.

I will stop now as I can feel a rant coming on.

Rant is fine.

I completely agree with the stupid bus network that first brought in under the current councils guidance, the FTRs should be banished from the city. They are just too damn big, not sure about the cost of painting them.

The road works required that are still going on so the buses will fit on the road have cost several million.

Buses are expensive as they are a bloody great big huge hulking things and get partially subsidised with first. However they do have to run buses on routes where they quite often don't get passengers, which with a big bus is also expensive.

The parking at the Uni is not only bad for the Uni, but more importantly for the residents who end up with masses of cars parked on the verges.

alanyork said:

I live and work in york you are wrong about the lights, I drive through all area,s of York all day long . the lights are needed, imo

Okie dokie then.

Edited by elster on Thursday 25th November 21:31

[darkyoung1000]

I'll agree with other people about the FTRs; personally I think they're a menace and the answer (except perhaps on the busy P&R routes) would be for smaller (mini?) buses throughout the day. Given the damage that the FTRs and other bendy buses cause to the infrastructure this would be an improvement (check out the wheel ruts on George Hudson Street).

I mostly ride around York, and would like to see the bus lanes opened up to motorcycles (as they have been in Hull). I'd also like to ensure that future cycle lane design is actually carried out by those who used all forms of transport (although riding a bike should be an essential requirement for a designer). I'd actually argue that the Clifton Cycle lane is one of the better designed ones, certainly in comparison to the one in Fulford...

Cheers,
Tom

[elster]

darkyoung1000 said:

I mostly ride around York, and would like to see the bus lanes opened up to motorcycles (as they have been in Hull). I'd also like to ensure that future cycle lane design is actually carried out by those who used all forms of transport (although riding a bike should be an essential requirement for a designer). I'd actually argue that the Clifton Cycle lane is one of the better designed ones, certainly in comparison to the one in Fulford...

Cheers,
Tom

I think the plan is nationally to open bus lanes to motorcycles, if not then it is something that should be followed up on.

I am not so sure about Clifton Cycle lane, as the result of that and the extra 2 traffic light crossings now has traffic queuing back down to Poppleton Road. The 2 traffic lights would be better served as zebra crossings, and why 2 so close to each other? It is just more expense for very limited demand.

[FlashmanChop]

elster said:

sambaman said:

you think im going to give up driving my lambo for a bus...............ahahahhahahahahahahahahhhahhahahahahhahahahahahahahhhahahhaahahah

This is has been the policy for the Lib Dems as they run the council and have implemented as much to "force" people to use public transport. Labour councillors support it.

However what would you change to get things moving again, also bearing in mind we have £112 million defecit, so no money to actually spend on new stuff.

Labour would spen more, but, having my sensible head on, would say that you have answered your own question within your statement... you have a deficit of £112m, what should we do - fk all. and let Keef drive round in his lambo!!