MORE than 100 protesters have signed up to a petition calling on council chiefs to abandon part of its race day traffic master plan.

The ban on right turns into St George's Place and Mount Vale Drive should not be repeated after next week's Ebor meeting, the campaigners are arguing.

Dave Merrett, Labour leader and Micklegate ward councillor, said residents living nearby had been opposing this ban before Royal Ascot at York - when the traffic scheme being used during the Ebor festival was first unveiled to curb fears of traffic gridlock in the city centre.

"Over 100 local residents have signed a petition opposing this ban," he said.

"This ban causes residents unnecessary inconvenience and lengthens their journeys on race-days - and they don't believe it is a crucial part of the traffic plan.

"The overall traffic controls would work perfectly well without it, and the least the council could do is test this out - by dropping the ban for the next set of races."

The council is currently awaiting the results of a consultation exercise with residents about which parts of the traffic plan they liked and didn't.

The scheme was considered a huge success during Royal Ascot in June, and was also used successfully during John Smith's Cup Day a month later.

Coun Merrett said: "The traffic plan trialled at Royal Ascot worked well in many respects - but the council must be prepared to learn from the problems with the scheme as well as its successes.

"It is clear that residents felt unfairly inconvenienced by the right turn ban into St George's Place and Mount Vale Drive and they have - quite reasonably - asked for this part of the traffic plan to be altered.

"It has also led to some other unfortunate manoeuvres, with U-turning vehicles in Tadcaster Road, Pulleyn Drive and Trentholme Drive.

"This is an opportunity for the Council to demonstrate that it has listened, and is acting in the interests of residents. It is disappointing that so far residents' pleas have been dismissed, and I'd ask officers to reconsider this aspect."

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "We recognise that the traffic arrangements for Royal Ascot at York caused some inconvenience to residents in certain parts of the city.

"It is always difficult to balance the needs of the city as a whole, with the needs of individual residents. We hope to keep the time that residents are unable to turn right into St George's Place and Mount Vale Drive to an absolute minimum - likely to be around lunchtime and 5pm.

However, residents will be able to turn right further up Tadcaster Road and track back to their own road."

Updated: 08:46 Monday, August 15, 2005