"THE city where cars don't move." That is the unwelcome title York is in danger of earning as a new official report warns of widespread gridlock across the city.

In the report drawn up by the council, a series of maps show how traffic is set to grind to a halt on dozens of routes into the already struggling city in the coming years.

Last night councillors were told that if nothing was done to tackle the growing issue of congestion in less than three years, more than 30 major routes into the city would be clogged up and that, by 2021, a staggering 74 roads will become a commuter nightmare.

The report also shows that currently during the morning rush-hour, which peaks at 8am, more than 700 vehicles an hour are using any given route.

According to calculations by The Press, by 2021 the growing crisis could leave more than 50,000 rush-hour motorists stranded behind the wheel of their cars going nowhere. Flashpoints include most junctions leading into the city centre from the A1237 outer ring road, the A64 and the A19.

Also routes in Clifton Moor, Rawcliffe, Acomb, Holgate, South Bank, Tang Hall, Heworth, Dringhouses, Fulford, Woodthorpe, Haxby and Earswick are set to become a commuter hell.

Labour councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing had one message for motorists, saying that if nothing is done: "You won't be moving anywhere fast. The worry for me and many people across the city is for the safety of pedestrians, the air quality and imagine the economic consequences of York getting the reputation as the city where cars don't move'.

"We've swept this problem under the carpet for too long, we've known we had a problem. People's habits have changed, their lifestyles and their journeys to work have to and we need to tackle this issue now."

In her report 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".

She said: "Even with the congestion tackling measures (already planned by the council), by 2011 there will be many principal roads in York where capacity will have reached and/or exceeded 85 per cent during peak travel times, leading to reduced or no free flow.

"In addition, off-peak and weekend traffic levels are increasing faster than ever before. By 2021, the projections are worse having taken into account the additional traffic from future employment and residential developments in York at University Campus 3, Germany Beck, Derwenthorpe, York Northwest, and Hungate."


Leader's view

City of York Council leader Andrew Waller said: "There is no magic bullet. York is not alone in facing these problems. We have a local transport plan which will get us part of the way, and increased investment from the Government, which we are actively campaigning for, will hopefully make the difference.

"We are campaigning on a regional level to get more funding into the city. The Government is expecting York to take some of the development the country needs, so they should also give us the investment."


Congestion charging

AS reported in The Press last week, transport officers at City of York Council have recommended that congestion charging be introduced in the city.

Road-pricing was proposed as part of a multi-pronged strategy to tackling congestion in York. A report by council scrutiny officer Melanie Carr said the existing transport plans were "unlikely to be enough in the long term".

A city-wide survey of residents is due to begin shortly, asking people for their views on a range of proposals for preventing gridlock. Labour councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing, who first called for the new report, said "tough choices" would need to be made.

The report said councils that accepted road pricing were most likely to be allocated money from the Government's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF).


Park & Ride solution

MUCH work has already been done in and around York to ease traffic congestion.

The city's popular Park&Ride system has persuaded many commuters out of their cars and on to buses, reducing the number of vehicles travelling in the city centre, particularly during rush-hours.

Improvements have also been carried out on many busy roads and junctions around the city. One of the largest schemes was the overhaul of the Moor Lane junction on the outer ring road. A new roundabout has been built, improving access and safety for motorists using the ring road and also Askham Bryan Lane or Moor Lane.

The council's Access York initiative aims to carry out further improvements to the outer ring road, while there are also plans for a major upgrade of the Hopgrove roundabout.