THE stringent traffic controls for Royal Ascot could be repeated at other major events on York's Knavesmire - if local people agree.

City council members agreed at their full meeting last night that residents and businesses across York should be given a say on whether the wide-scale traffic measures should be used at future race meetings and big events.

Council leader Steve Galloway said some of the controls could be imposed for a major caravan rally coming to York in a month.

Labour opposition leader Dave Merrett acknowledged that "the bulk" of traffic arrangements during Royal Ascot week had "worked well".

But he said there had also been some negative impact among city centre traders and local shops.

Coun Galloway also revealed the results of a council survey measuring total numbers of people to have attended the racing event - the start of the consultation process about whether Royal Ascot was a success.

Of those questioned, nearly 100 per cent said they would come back to York, and more than two-thirds said they would return at least once a year.

About a quarter of race-goers who did not live in York said their Royal Ascot experience would make them return to the city more often than they otherwise would have, while one person in 427 surveyed said their visit would have the opposite effect.

Asked how they rated their race meeting experience, visitors gave Royal Ascot at York a big thumbs-up, with an average score of 8.21 out of ten.

In a separate survey of residents in the Tadcaster Road area, 88 per cent said Royal Ascot at York was well managed.

Coun Galloway said: "There were those who claimed the city and region could not organise an event of this type and scale.

"They were wrong.

"I hope that the atmosphere of the event can be recreated in some way at some of next year's race meetings in the city.

"But residents should tell us now if they want more of this type of area wide traffic management. There is little time to go before the big August Ebor meeting, so decisions must be taken quickly."

Coun Galloway also publicly congratulated all City of York Council staff involved in the event for their work in making it a success.

Anyone who wants a chance to have their say about Royal Ascot is being asked to write to the council's offices. They can also send emails to a dedicated consultation address: race.traffic@york.gov.uk.

The winners and losers in York's great roads experiment

We asked the winners and losers of Royal Ascot racing week whether they would be glad to see tight traffic controls at future meetings.

THE RESTAURANT OWNER: Lucy Hjort, co-owner of Melton's and Melton's Too restaurants, said: "We'd welcome it. I think a lot of people will be less inclined to disappear because they will have seen that on the whole it worked and therefore the city centre would be somewhere they could go. I'm quite supportive of it being done again. People find ways of coping and getting around any particular restrictions, and if it's a regular thing they'll continue to do that."

THE RESIDENT: Douglas Mumford, who lives near the racecourse, said: "We were pleasantly surprised from the point of view of traffic. We expected to be marooned and not able to get in and out but we didn't find any problem at all. Considering what it has been like in the past, I think the system worked well."

THE LOCAL BUSINESS: Steve Simpson, manager of Knavesmire Butchers, said: "Shutting the roads is no good to us. We lost a lot of money in Ascot week. It affected us hard. People couldn't get to us. I don't know what we'd do if it happened again."

THE VILLAGE PUB LANDLORD: Adam Harris, licensee of the Marcia pub in Bishopthorpe, said: "It's not good for us. We prefer the flow of traffic to come through the centre of the village. Race days are good for us, we make that extra bit of money. But if the flow of traffic is moved away from the village, what's the point?"

THE CITY CENTRE TRADER: Andrew Wingfield, manager of the Slug and Lettuce pub, said: "It was very well organised, but the centre of town did suffer. Everyone says it was a disaster. I think they should open York up and not shuffle everyone away."

Updated: 09:47 Wednesday, July 27, 2005