AN £85,000 scheme aimed at cutting speeds on a stretch of York road has been criticised for leaving the route looking like “a patchwork”.

City of York Council last month agreed to introduce a 20mph limit on a section of Fishergate which passes two primary schools, but the outcome of the work has been branded a let-down.

David Scott, who is standing for Labour in the Clifton ward at the local elections and chairs the authority’s economic development and city strategy scrutiny committee, said the appearance of the road between The Lighthorseman pub and Escrick Street did not reflect its cost.

He said: “This project has cost £85,000, and with that amount of money being spent, the end result should have been better.

“What residents have been left with is a patchwork of tarmacs and different colours left on the road. As chair of the scrutiny committee which reviews such projects, I am very disappointed in the end result.”

The Fishergate scheme was opposed by North Yorkshire Police, who said it could make the area less safe and warned its officers would not enforce the limit. But Coun Steve Galloway, the council’s executive member for city strategy, said the proximity of Fishergate and St George’s RC Primary Schools and a shopping area meant there were “special circumstances” for the move.

Dan Sidley, Labour candidate for Fishergate, said: “I have been a long-standing supporter of 20mph zones in the right location and this was a real chance for the city to show what can be done.

“The quality of work is poor and local residents will miss out. The whole road could have been resurfaced, but this is another wasted opportunity.”

But Coun Galloway said neither Mr Scott nor Mr Sidley made representations at the meeting where the decision on the new limit was taken.

“By contrast, several local residents wrote to support the proposal, which was also backed by the two councillors for the ward,” he said.

“The timetable for improvements was influenced by the need to coincide works with a major scheme by Yorkshire Water. Although cosmetically the current position may not be perfect, we live in a world where our limited resources must be prioritised towards dealing with the backlog of work caused by severe winter weather, and Fishergate now has a better surface than many roads in the city.”