£10k for York street sculpture (From York Press)

£10k for York street sculpture

10:45am Wednesday 15th August 2007 in News By Gavin Aitchison, gavin.aitchison@thepress.co.uk

£10,000 - that's the cost of this new sculpture, which council bosses want to install in York.

These pictures give the first glimpse of the new artwork planned for the White Rose Cycle Path at the junction of Hallfield Road and the James Street link road.

City of York Council is seeking approval from its planning department for the iron sculpture, which will be just over six foot tall, four foot three inches wide, and about ten inches thick, and entitled Travelling Under Your Own Steam.

It has been designed by Selby artist Ailsa Magnus, who says it is a "whimsical celebration of our desire to travel".

She said: "I wanted to incorporate different forms of travel, particularly trains because trains are important to York, and also that part of the cycle track follows the old Derwent Valley rail route, so I thought it was particularly important to represent train travel.

"The car is one of the major forms of transport in the area, and it's right beside the main road, but, because it's on the cycle track, I felt the cyclist had to come out on the top."

The cyclist holding the cloud represents him "going under his own steam", but Ms Magnus said someone had suggested it could also represent cyclists holding back the rain clouds by using environmentally-friendly travel to combat global warming."

Local people were consulted on the proposal, with a number suggesting something based on the site's railway heritage. Most were broadly supportive, but one person wrote: "We would like to see a cycle pass reinstated and the £10,000 used responsibly towards this work. The council should seriously consider this."

The Travellers' Trust said the £10,000 would be better spent on improving facilities, and the design drew a lukewarm response from Press readers we spoke to.

Local councillor Paul Blanchard said: "I love the fact that different forms of transport have been cleverly fused. This new landmark will bring a bit of culture to the cycle path and, in my view, will give the local area a lift."

Fellow Heworth councillor Ruth Potter said: "It was very interesting to hear how many people remembered the old railway station and steam trains on the old railway lines. It's a really good idea to reflect back on the history of the area."

Greg McGee, of The Art Space in Tower Street, said: "It's a serious piece. It hints at ambition, industry, travelling safely, but there's a quirky throwaway quality to it that's attractive. Travel is fun, but it needs to be safe; rather than beating us around the head with a sermon, the artist is allowing the issues to breathe much more effectively."