THE Yorkshire motorist, under siege for so long from the taxman, the green lobby, planners and politicians, is enjoying a respite. Car-bashing is out of fashion as the need to get the region moving finally arrived at the top of the political agenda.

It has been a long journey. Last week the Government announced that sections of the A1 were to be made into motorway; it was back in the Eighties when this newspaper first called for an upgrade to the notorious trunk road.

That announcement was quickly succeeded by another: the Bilbrough Top central reservation gap is to be closed and replaced by a flyover. Soon this terrible junction will be tamed, great news for all road-users which followed another, albeit less lengthy, Evening Press campaign.

And today, motorists, Ryedale and coastal businesses and Rillington villagers were celebrating after transport minister David Jamieson gave the green light for an A64 bypass.

A delegation headed by Ryedale MP John Greenway met with Mr Jamieson yesterday. No doubt they travelled more in hope than expectation; campaigners have been calling for a bypass for many years.

But now they know that their sterling efforts were not in vain. The relief road, along the villagers' preferred route, will finally free Rillington from the scourge of heavy traffic.

This will also remove a serious bottleneck, which has caused gridlock on the coast road on sunny summer weekends. Good news not only for holidaymakers, but for the traders along the route who are handicapped by the recurring congestion.

Mr Jamieson's bypass announcement is a tacit admission by the Government that the A64 is inadequate for the job. We should all take heart from the decision; it shows that a compelling case allied to a vocal campaign will eventually persuade road ministers to loosen the purse strings.

The message is there. If we keep the pressure up, the need to dual the whole length of the A64 will eventually be accepted by Whitehall.

Updated: 11:15 Wednesday, July 03, 2002