YORK residents are being asked to have their say on whether a one-way system on a busy city street should become permanent.

City of York Council would like to hear views on the temporary one-way restriction which was introduced in Coppergate in June last year.

It was originally put in place as a direct response to the Covid-19 pandemic, to provide additional space for pedestrians on the narrow sections of footway in Coppergate. The one way arrangement allows buses and taxis to travel from Parliament Street to Clifford Street along Coppergate, but not in the other direction.

As part of the temporary restriction, a contraflow cycle lane was provided to enable cyclists to continue to travel along Coppergate in both directions. The restrictions to vehicle type permitted between 8am and 6pm (buses and taxis only) remained in place, although outside these times the one-way restriction applies to all the traffic types on Coppergate, including loading vehicles.

The maximum 18 month period for a temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) will come to an end in December this year.

The council now wants to hear from people to see whether the one-way restriction should continue (subject to the approval of the Secretary of State) or the layout should revert to the previous arrangements.

The council say it has reduced vehicle levels in this area of the city centre and improved the environment for cyclists, but that the restriction has had a significant impact on bus and taxi services and their users owing to the longer distance travelled for services diverting via Clifford Street and Tower Street to Piccadilly.

They say bus stops and shelter provision is also poorer, with a number of bus services needing to use the bus stop by Banana Warehouse in Piccadilly, which has no shelter or seating, in place of using stops on Piccadilly which are of better quality.

The consultation will run from today (October 21) to Thursday, November 4 completing an online survey: york.gov.uk/consultation by email: coppergate@york.gov.uk by post: FREEPOST RTEG-TYYU-KLTZ, Coppergate, City of York Council, West Offices, Station Rise, York YO1 6GA.

Following the consultation a decision will be taken by the Executive Member for Transport on 16 November on whether to submit an application to the Secretary of State to extend the Temporary TRO.

This will enable the necessary design and statutory processes for a permanent change to be progressed. Or alternatively, the council will remove the temporary restriction and revert to the original two way arrangement.