York active travel schemes shelved amid huge funding gap

City of York Council said its “ambitious” active travel programme would cost £36 million in total – but it has just over £2 million to spend.

Of 24 projects, two smaller ones have been completed, while a further seven – including the Hospital Fields cycle scheme, Skeldergate cycle improvements and a city centre north-south cycle route – are set to be taken forward to construction.

Addressing senior councillors, director James Gilchrist said some schemes had to be pushed back, as otherwise “the risk is very little will actually be delivered”.

Projects deemed unaffordable by the council include the £4 million Acomb Road scheme, the £1 million Wheldrake and Heslington cycle path and a £10 million active travel bridge over the River Ouse next to the A1237.

Labour group leader Cllr Claire Douglas described level of progress as “a huge disappointment for everybody”.

York Cycle Campaign’s Rob Ainsley said: “York has been awarded £1.2 million in active travel funding – none of it spent so far.

York cycle campaigners

“Meanwhile, cycling in York has plummeted with the council’s latest figures, showing a drop in cycle trips of over a third since 2014.”

He said Oxford, a city similar to York, had recently constructed a cross-city active travel network for £1.2 million.

“The key is the council was strategic about how they spent their money – using it to bridge the worst gaps in the network and upgrading the rest in due course, rather than trying to complete a gold plated route all in one go,” Mr Ainsley added.

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Labour’s transport spokesperson Cllr Rachel Melly said: “For years we’ve had various excuses for the delays and lack of progress, but the underlying cause is political choices.”

Making Navigation Road one-way and pedestrian improvements on University Road are the two schemes that have been constructed so far.

Cycle campaigners have previously raised fears that the government could claw back unspent active travel cash from the council.

Mr Gilchrist said no funding was going to be handed back to the Department for Transport “as part of this report”.

Executive member for transport Cllr Andy D’Agorne said: “I can well understand the frustrations expressed by campaigners who, like me, are very aware of the urgency to improve active travel.

“But quite frankly, we all know that so far, the necessary level of funding to achieve that high quality that we’re looking for has not been available.”

He added: “The work that has been done so far has helped us to lay the groundwork and highlight some of the challenges we face in a constrained urban environment like York. A phased approach will deliver further quick wins in addition to those we have already made.”