FEBRUARY 1976, York taxi drivers had objected to a new paving and landscaping scheme in St Sampson’s Square.

As work progressed on the development, taxi drivers found themselves no longer able to drive straight in from Davygate or go round the square before parking in the direction of Parliament Street. With one side of the square from Church Street to Finkle Street now paved, access to the rank had become restricted, resulting in a time and fuel-consuming journey around the city centre.

According to one report in the York Evening Press, the council had made alternative suggestions. One of these required the taxi drivers to park their cabs the other way round, facing Davygate, until a new 12-cab rank in Davygate and 12 more spaces in Piccadilly were ready.

By April 1976, work on the traffic-free haven for shoppers in St Sampson’s Square was nearing completion at an estimated cost of £25,000.

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