YORK’S a beautiful city. But getting around it on foot isn’t always as easy - or as enjoyable - as it should be. Have you ever tried walking into the city centre from the railway station? Or walking up beside the Foss Basin, coming out onto Tower Street, then trying to cross to go up Piccadilly?

In theory, says traffic engineer Prof Tony May, York’s local transport plan makes pedestrians the priority. In practice, it is anything but - with the lion’s share of time at traffic lights given over to cars, and pedestrians forced to wait, then rush to get across a road before the lights change again.

Making the city more pedestrian-friendly by adjusting traffic lights and redesigning junctions - especially major junctions on the inner ring road - would make people feel better about living here, and be good for business, Prof May says. And it would also improve traffic flow.

He is now drawing up a series of fairly radical proposals for changes to many key junctions and roads.

They include proposals to get rid of the need for the Fishergate gyratory by making Fishergate between Blue Bridge and Paragon Street two-way. His extensive proposals for Fishergate/Tower Street also include new pedestrian crossings, and allowing traffic to turn right from Fishergate directly into Piccadilly.

Other proposals include closing Micklegate Bar permanently to outbound traffic, so as to reduce the time cars wait at the Blossom Street junction; and urging more traffic to use Nunnery Lane so as to reduce the number of cars going down Bishopthorpe Road and Scarcroft Road.

Not everyone will agree with all the proposals. But Prof May, a Civic Trust volunteer who has 50 years’ professional experience as a transport engineer, has given his time free to the city. And the council has pledged to give his ideas full consideration .

What’s not to like?