York's historic Micklegate Bar to close to outbound traffic

From December 10, vehicles will no longer be able to travel through the city walls out of Micklegate, as City of York Council implements a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO).

The move - which effectively closes Micklegate Bar to all traffic excluding cyclists and pedestrians going under the Bar towards Nunnery Lane, Queen Street and Blossom Street - was first suggested in July by Labour councillor for Micklegate ward Jonny Crawshaw.

He hoped it would reduce damage to the historic walls caused by traffic.

A full council meeting debated the proposal in July, and a report was taken to a transport and planning decision session meeting on September 13, paving the way for an experimental TRO.

The order will run for up to 18 months, but the council said it would be regularly assessed and could become permanent within that period.

Cllr Peter Dew, executive member for transport and planning at the council, said: “The aim of the experiment is to improve the environment in Micklegate by removing a proportion of the through traffic whilst maintaining access for those who need it.

“We hope this will help traders and businesses to take advantage of the reduced traffic in the area and will encourage even more pedestrians to shop down Micklegate too.”

Cllr Crawshaw said he was pleased to see the TRO would finally be put in place, and could lead to a reinvention of Micklegate.

He said: “Micklegate Bar is a jewel in York’s heritage crown so it’s great to know that this important scheduled monument will be protected from any future damage by motor vehicles.

“The closure also represents a great opportunity to re-imagine Micklegate as a more people-friendly street. I have been and will continue working with the Micklegate Business Initiative and local residents to ensure that both Micklegate and the wider area benefit from this change.”

New signs will be installed at Micklegate Bar, with temporary information signs placed on all approaches.