YORK'S transport boss has apologised for a "misjudgement" after her daughter's wedding party was whisked through the city on green traffic lights - all the way to the ceremony.

Ann Reid said she regretted agreeing to the five-car wedding convoy being used to help test out a new traffic light system, which will help emergency vehicles get more quickly to calls.

"I apologise for this misjudgement and the lapse in my usually high standards," said Councillor Reid.

Her daughter Hannah's party went through nine sets of green lights - thanks to city council engineers.

Under the sophisticated system, each set of traffic lights turns green as soon as an emergency vehicle approaches, to give them a clear passage to incidents.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said the wedding party had provided a "useful opportunity" to try out the system, and the test run to the ceremony at the Treasurer's House near York Minster had been a success.

THE usual worries about getting to the ceremony on time didn't apply for one bride on her big day.

For every time the wedding party approached a set of traffic lights on York's busy streets, they promptly turned green.

Instead of sitting impatiently in traffic queues, the convoy of five vehicles heading for the wedding of Hannah Reid, the daughter of York transport supremo Ann Reid, went through nine sets of lights on green - all courtesy of city council engineers.

Hannah, a teacher, married Simon Fraser at the Treasurers' House, near York Minster, on August 12.

City of York Council said today that the wedding party had provided a useful opportunity to test a new system, under which all traffic lights will go green in a wave when emergency vehicles approach, to give them a clear passage.

"This new system has to be tested by following a known, identifiable vehicle or vehicles," said a spokeswoman.

"Ms Reid's wedding party provided a useful opportunity to do this. The system worked. Further tests have been carried out since then on other vehicles."

But Coun Reid, who is the Liberal Democrat executive member for transport and planning, today apologised for "this misjudgement and the lapse in my usually high standards".

She said her involvement had been a genuine effort to help ensure that systems were in place to aid emergency vehicles responding to calls.

"Previous trials of this system had shown that it was difficult to track one ordinary car in heavy traffic, which is why it was felt that five cars, which were travelling the route anyway, would be easier to see...

"In hindsight, I do regret agreeing to help in this way."

Council leader Steve Galloway said: "I think it's very courageous of them to use trial technology of this sort for such an event of great personal importance."

The Labour opposition group's transport spokeswoman, Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, said: "The system for emergency vehicles is a fantastic idea, but I think it would have been better if emergency vehicles, not on active duty, had been used for testing it."

Green Party councillor Mark Hill said: "This is likely to be the only bride that's likely to get to the church on time in York for years to come, given that congestion is getting worse in York and the Lib Dems' measures for beating it are not that radical."

Updated: 07:50 Monday, October 17, 2005