YORK is facing "gridlock" in five years, but a traffic master plan designed to combat it will not work, according to a leading opposition councillor.

As York's ruling executive prepares to consider development in the Foss Basin at a meeting on March 16, Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, Labour transport spokeswoman, said a "traffic nightmare" was awaiting the city.

She believes a transport master plan, aiming to take into account the extra traffic arising from new housing and office developments, will fail to prevent huge numbers of extra cars and vehicles blocking the streets.

But Ann Reid, the council's executive member for planning and transport, said the plan, which will be debated at the meeting, was the only way of ensuring that traffic could be managed. The plan would see a James Street link road, a bus priority lane at Walmgate Bar, an extension of the Sustrans cycle route into the city. and a safety scheme to control traffic at the Monkgate roundabout.

Coun Simpson Laing said the study was flawed. She said it did not consider the traffic implications of future planning schemes in Layerthorpe or York Central.

But council officers are adamant that York would face traffic agony in the future if the plan was NOT implemented.

The report on the traffic blueprint portrays a trail of queues, delays and snarl-ups unless the plan is accepted, including:

Peasholme Green and Walmgate Bar operating at almost total capacity in peak hours

"Very significant increased delays" at Skeldergate and Tower Street

Diversion to the already busy A64 apparent at "increased" levels

More motorists turning to rat runs through Hopgrove, Stockton Lane, Westlands Grove and Mill Lane.

Coun Simpson-Laing said: "It's really important this document is given proper consideration. We need to consider future planning sites that are coming forward.

"We think it indicates that, within the next five years, there will be gridlock on the east side of the city.

"It is a nightmare scenario and I want to know how the executive plans to get around this without imposing draconian traffic measures."

The report also looks at measures which will physically "control" rat runs, bring in public transport routes away from congested areas and a flexible plan which can accommodate to differing situations.

Officers claim the master plan will "result in significant reductions in traffic levels" on key roads like Foss Islands Road.

Coun Reid said: "Our understanding is that it will be gridlock unless we have the master plan. That's why we are looking at it. Officers are aware of York Central, but that's still quite a long way off."

Updated: 10:58 Wednesday, March 10, 2004