RACE-DAY traffic is always heavy in York, causing headaches for locals and visitors alike.

Royal Ascot looms, bringing with it the promise of at least 50,000 race-goers a day, so this week's traffic experiment during the Ebor meeting is important for the city. And it is worth remembering that this is an experiment.

The measures put in place this week offer the best and last chance to sort out the traffic before Royal Ascot. If problems are identified now, they may be rectified in time. That, at least, is the hope.

One of the problems with attempting to manage traffic on such a grand scale is that you can't please all of the people all of the time - and you can't please some of them at all.

While City of York Council is hailing the traffic-busting measures a success, others have complained of chaos and confusion.

Problems highlighted by disgruntled motorists include a lack of signs outside the city warning of the new diversions. Regular out-of-city visitors claimed they had not been told that routes would be blocked.

Some locals felt even more aggrieved on discovering there was no way, for example, that they could drive to Tesco on Tadcaster Road. If residents cannot get around the city this week, what chance will they have during Royal Ascot?

Bus companies were not happy either, with Yorkshire Coastliner complaining about delays of up to an hour thanks to midday traffic jams.

So is this experiment a valiant attempt to sort out a traffic mess; or is it just meddling and making matters worse?

The council and police deserve praise for recognising the scale of the problem and attempting to do something about it; but many motorists will need convincing that the experimental measures made driving around the city easier.

Updated: 11:19 Wednesday, August 18, 2004