COUNCILLORS have blasted a York school for its alleged lack of co-operation in tackling school run gridlock which is plaguing neighbouring residents.

City of York Council's east area planning and transport committee is to put pressure on St Peter's School to reduce traffic caused by parents taking children to its junior school, St Olave's, which is on the site of the former Queen Anne's School.

Residents of Queen Anne's Road and North Parade, in Bootham, are furious at the volume of vehicles filling their streets since Queen Anne's School was sold to St Peter's by the council in December 2001.

Prior to the sale, St Peter's gave assurances that access would be strictly managed and traffic would decrease.

But within a short time of the school opening, complaints were being made, and residents mounted a protest in September, handing out leaflets to parents.

The council recently consulted residents on proposals for a one-way system, traffic calming or an intelligent bollard to tackle the problem, but a report considered by councillors last night recommended maintaining the status quo.

Resident and university politics lecturer Neil Carter told councillors that the consultation survey was flawed in its design.

He said: "There are a lot of solutions out there. The school itself is the one that has got to act."

Clifton ward councillor Alan Jones said he was "disappointed" by the school's failure to cut traffic and said the issue would be discussed at the next ward committee meeting on July 1.

Coun Ken King said the school had treated the council and residents with "contempt" and "reneged" on their agreement. "They have caused the problem and it is up to us to put as much pressure as we can to make them solve it," he said.

The committee turned down the officer's recommendation and councillors unanimously voted to continue consultation with the ward committee, residents and the school, with a full report prepared on ways to tackle the problem.

A letter will be sent to the school's governors about the problem. The council presently has no powers to enforce any restrictions on access to the school.

No one from St Peter's was available for comment.

Updated: 14:08 Friday, June 11, 2004