FRESH calls are today being made for York’s controversial Lendal Bridge restrictions to be abandoned, as the trial reaches its half-way stage.

York’s main council opposition, the Conservatives, have formally called for the trial to be aborted early. Cars, motorbikes, vans and lorries have been banned from the bridge between 10.30am and 5pm every day since the end of August, and almost 26,000 drivers had been fined by November 10.

City of York Council says the move, currently a six-month trial, will improve bus times and cut pollution and city-centre traffic. But critics say the trial is damaging York’s image as thousands of tourists and visitors receive £60 penalty notices, and they say it is also affecting businesses and causing congestion in other parts of the city.

The council will assess the scheme after it ends in February. An interim report analysing its first three months is being prepared, but the authority’s Conservative group said it should end now.

Conservative leader Coun Ian Gillies said: “While I do not criticise the Labour administration for trying something new, recently-published statistics show there have been no appreciable gains in any areas, such as bus journey times and bus usage, where the council was anticipating improvement.”

He has asked Coun Dave Merrett, cabinet member for transport, and Darren Richardson, director of city and environmental services, to drop the trial.

Coun Gillies added: “Problems have been stacking up all over the city and the Conservative group has been looking at the evidence. While there have still been no criteria published by which success will be measured, statistics clearly show this experiment has failed.

"If Labour are serious about economic growth in York, the city’s reputation and the opinion of the majority of York residents, they should fully reopen Lendal Bridge.”

Coun Gillies said signs indicating the trial were “poor”, meaning more fines, and the city’s tourist reputation was suffering through being seen as “a cash cow”.

He said the trial had contributed to a decline in city-centre footfall, and closing “an integral part of the inner ring road” had increased traffic and pollution elsewhere.

Coun Merrett said one Conservative councillor had said he was in favour of the trial and other party members had said it should last from 7am to 7pm. He said: “It begs the question of whether this is a Conservative group view or Coun Gillies’ view.

“This is a trial and the initial signs are that it is working well in terms of improving the public realm and environment, and bus reliability, but we have always said full analysis and evaluation will be after six months. This will be a detailed and objective analysis, not based on the comments of an opposition councillor standing at the side of the road.”

>>> Mixed views at half-way stage in trial. Join the debate here.