HOPED-for improvements to a York bridge have been pushed back, disappointing cycle campaigners.

A new cycle and wheelchair accessible crossing of the Ouse at Scarborough Bridge had been been included in city council budgets for later this year, but documents now show that everything except feasibility studies and outline design work has been pushed back to 2017/18.

The news has been greeted with dismay by cycle campaigners, who had praised the earlier plans as a great boost to the off-road cycle network in York.

Cyclists currently have to dismount and carry their bikes up and down stairs on either side of the bridge, but the new wider bridge would have ramped access for both bikes and pedestrians and would provide a better link to York station.

Paul Hepworth, the North Yorkshire spokesman for national cyclist charity Cycle UK said they were naturally disappointed by the news.

“We hope that this new Ouse cycle crossing is completed, in time for it to complement the nearby York Central development, as well as encouraging more cycle travel to the train station,” he added.

City of York’s executive member for transport Cllr Ian Gillies will on Thursday be asked to move £418,000 for the Scarborough Bridge scheme from the 2016/17 to 2017/18 budget.

York Press:

The report says that Network Rail, who are doing the feasibility studies on the council’s behalf, have provided a new timescale for the project.

Additional feasibility and outline design work needs to be carried out in 2016/17, it adds.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “Network Rail and York City Council are currently finalising contracts for the early design of Scarborough Bridge and we will provide further updates as soon as they are available”.

The website for the CityConnect group, which is funded by the Department for Transport and run by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said the York project consists of building a new, wider bridge across the River Ouse, adjacent to the existing Scarborough-line railway bridge.