HOSPITAL patients have been handed a bus lifeline when a key York road is closed for resurfacing.

Council chiefs and city bus company First have thrashed out a deal which will see some services arriving at York Hospital during the two weeks when Gillygate is shut.

Some 4,000 staff, patients and visitors to the hospital were facing travel misery after First said it would scrap its buses during the closure, which was announced earlier this month.

Motorists are concerned that city centre traffic could grind to a halt when the street is closed from October 31. But following a meeting between the council and First, the bus company has announced it will run the No 1 service during the works - giving people a route to the hospital.

The council says it must shut Gillygate because of poor conditions on the busy road, which thousands of vehicles pass through every day.

The authority is proposing to shut the road between 8am and 7pm as residential flats nearby mean night-time work is not an option. Traders have criticised the works, saying they will hit them hard in the pocket.

Peter Edwards, First commercial director, said the company would review the arrangement when resurfacing work started to see whether it was a success.

"We have been in consultation with the council and they have asked us to reconsider our decision," he said. "We have told them we will keep running the Service 1 and maintain the link between the city centre and the hospital.

"We hope we can maintain this, but we must stress we do not know what the traffic is going to be like when Gillygate is closed."

Coun Ann Reid, the council's transport chief, said: "I promised that the council would talk to First about maintaining this essential service. Gillygate is an important road that does need repairs done to it and I am pleased we have been able to ensure the bus service will continue."

The new route will take the No 1 service from York Station along Rougier Street, Bridge St, Stonebow, Peasholme Green, St Maurice's Road, Lord Mayors Walk, and then back on to Clarence Street and on to the hospital. Operators have warned that drivers will not be able to pick up passengers in Station Avenue.

Route Five is also affected. It will run the same route to Monk Bar then turn right into Monkgate and then Huntington Road.

Route Six will go to St Leonard's Place as normal, but will use Bootham instead of Gillygate. It will then turn into Burton Stone Lane and link up to its normal route at Kingsway North.

Updated: 10:53 Tuesday, October 04, 2005