CONGESTION charging should be introduced in York to prevent the city's traffic grinding to a standstill, council officers have said.

A new draft report warns that existing transport plans in the city do not go far enough to cope with the rising number of vehicles on the road, and says additional action is needed.

Residents throughout York are now to be consulted on a range of proposals for tackling the city's ticking traffic timebomb.

Labour councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing, who first called for the new report, said today that "tough choices" would have to be made. She added: "People may support some sort of charging as a way of being able to boost public transport systems from any revenue raised.

"If we do not do anything, we know York is going to have a 27 per cent rise in traffic over the next ten to 15 years, and the air quality in the city will worsen, and that will have long-term health effects for all residents."

A "suggested strategy" attached with the report proposes a seven-pronged approach to addressing congestion, including substantial investment in public transport and facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as - for the first time - road pricing.

Melanie Carr, scrutiny officer for City of York Council, said the council's local transport plans (LTPs) had been successful, but were "unlikely to be enough in the longer term".

In her report, thought to be the first to actually propose congestion charging, she wrote: "Many measures have or are close to achieving their maximum potential for restricting traffic growth at the level of investment to date and more extensive measures are likely to be required in the future."

Ms Carr said more extensive funding sources would be needed, with the most likely being the Department for Transport's new Transport Innovation Fund (TIF). She said: "It is becoming more apparent that the DfT's view is for local authorities seeking some of the TIF funding available should include some form of road pricing." She added: "Road Pricing is most likely to attract TIF funding and does generate a revenue income. However, the revenue collection and scheme operation costs need to be accurately assessed to determine if such a scheme is viable and sustainable."

Council leader Andrew Waller reiterated the Liberal Democrat position that they would accept road pricing only if it were part of a wider, national scheme.

The Lib Dems have argued that a unilateral congestion charge would hinder York economically against other cities.

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of Visit York, said: "There is clearly a need to address congestion in the city, and congestion charging may be one of the options needed.

"We would welcome the opportunity to be involved in the discussion about how we can reduce congestion for the benefit of both residents and visitors."


Fact file

The new report proposes a combination of seven schemes, each of which is seen to have both pros and cons:* Smarter choices - marketing, publicity and personal travel planning to make people more aware of their options* Infrastructure improvements - High investment in walking and cycling, including new bridges* Road-based public transport investment - High investment in buses, including Park&Ride* Full public transport investment - As above, but with investment in rail travel too* Demand management - Measures to dissuade people from driving into the city centre. Examples include "more radical parking policies" and access restrictions* Road-user charging - A cordon zone to discourage through-city travel, with revenue used to fund other improvements* Highway infrastructure - Major roads projects, as in the Access York plans drawn up by the council recently for major upgrades of the local road network, including possibly dualling the outer ring road. Also a freight consolidation centre, to minimise the number of lorries in the city centre.


Other ideas were mooted, but not included in the suggested strategy. They include:

* Continuing the ideas outlined in the council's existing transport plans* Doing very little* Parking charges at workplaces in the city centre.