THE preferred scheme for York's sixth Park & Ride, serving the A59 corridor, was unveiled today.

Residents were given the choice of five sites where the new service - catering for the north-west of the city - could be situated.

In a leaflet sent to every York household, people have backed site A, which

is located inside the outer ring road behind the Civil Service sports ground. The scheme could also have the potential for a "park and rail" feature, with the new site being linked by a new rail halt to the York to Harrogate line.

Site A was the most favoured among residents in the Poppleton and Boroughbridge Road area.

The council hopes the proposed Park & Ride scheme will initially remove as many as 750 cars from York's roads every day.

The council's executive is expected to give the green light for a site feasibility study at a meeting next Friday.

The city-wide consultation also found that 86 per cent of York residents backed Park & Ride as "very important for the city".

Councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing, the council's executive member for transport, said: "Park & Ride is a vital element of our five-year strategy to reverse the growth in congestion. Without the council's investment of Local Transport Plan money in Park & Ride, we could be heading towards gridlock.

The scheme is likely to cost between £3.5 million and £4.5 million and will be opened in spring 2005.

Park & Ride is a key strand of the council's £50m local transport plan to beat congestion in York.

Updated: 13:37 Friday, March 14, 2003