Those who followed the detailed debate about the poor siting of the Northern Gateway Park and Ride will have seen the new proposals for the bus lane and associated nine sets of traffic lights proposed for the A19 along Bootham and Shipton Road. Users of the present Clifton Moor-based Park and Ride have already realised the difficulties they may face when the service relocates.

Similar concerns must soon arise from the many parents whose children attend schools along or off this road which educate over 2,000 school children and employ many staff who need to get to school every day. This road thus serves a major part of the city's educational users.

However, the council's plan to run non-stop Park and Ride buses along this corridor into the centre of York means that they will cater for some parts of the community but will fail to address the significant movement needs of parents and children on a daily basis, as bus services are far from frequent on routes serving these schools. Which groups of people was this newly-sited Northern Gateway Park and Ride designed to serve? Apparently not those on Clifton Moor. What alternative provision has the council made for the children and parents who must use this road for access to their schools if they wish to reduce daily car movements? This scheme may well end up serving the needs of a few, destroying one of the most attractive roads into York and become an expensive but efficient political white elephant.

Derek Paterson,

Ings View,

Shipton Road, York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.