A COUNCIL roads chief has said tolls on York city centre's three historic bridges could be necessary in future to combat congestion.

Officers at City of York Council last looked at the scheme - under which motorists would be charged for entering the city using any of Lendal, Ouse or Skeldergate Bridges - while compiling the latest local transport plan in 2006.

But the subject has been raised again, at the authority's traffic congestion ad-hoc scrutiny committee.

Damon Copperthwaite, the council's assistant director of city development and transport city strategy, reported on schemes officers had looked at to combat congestion in the city centre in the future.

"This is a scheme which may be applicable by 2021, with traffic up 25 per cent and congestion up 50 per cent," he said.

"With that backdrop, we looked at placing relatively modest charges on the bridges."

He said models had shown that the charges would deter some motorists from entering the city, thus cutting congestion, while also raising revenue.

He said officers worked on there being 41,000 crossings over the three bridges every day. With a £1 charge, council officers found the scheme would raise £4 million. With a £5 charge, they estimated it would raise £10 million.

He said no detailed work had been carried out on the scheme, and the project would displace some traffic problems to elsewhere in York.

Council leader Steve Galloway said it was difficult to look so far into the future. "I really cannot forecast what may or may not be applicable in 2021," he said.

"Technology will have moved on dramatically by then and, if a nationwide congestion charging scheme is in place, then one optionmay be to charge to use certain roads or bridges at certain times of the day.

"It is also possible that we will by then have got such an attractive public transport system that such options will be irrelevant."

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, Labour's transport spokeswoman, said the scheme should not ruled out with the prospect of daily gridlock on York's roads in coming decades.

She said: "The possibility of restrictions on some of York's road network in the future cannot at the moment be ruled out unless people make changes to the way they travel around York, along with the provision of more Park&Ride and better bus services."

Coun Simpson-Laing said she had called for a city-wide residents' survey to canvass opinion on transport policy.

Coun Ian Gillies, the Conservatives' transport spokesman, said although he could not rule out the scheme, charging tolls on the three bridges would penalise residents to the west of York.

"The problem with traffic in this city always reverts back to the fact that you cannot get a quart into a pint pot," he said. "Any measures to address the situation can range from tinkering to Draconian.

"The difficulty with the bridge charging is that it disproportionately affects those living on the west side of the city accessing shopping areas, the university, the hospital and other amenities. My view is we cannot rule any measure in or out until we have full knowledge of the potential impact on our residents."