MOTORISTS can once again park on city centre streets in the evening - marking the final victory in the Evening Press's Stop The Highway Robbery campaign.

Yellow lines banning evening parking in nine York streets, including Fossgate, Duncombe Place, Goodramgate and Piccadilly, were scrapped in the summer.

Now meters are finally being installed, allowing drivers to park for an evening for £1 if they have a Minster badge in the windscreen to prove they live in the City of York Council area, or £2 for non-residents.

Our campaign last year called for unnecessary double yellow lines to be removed as well for new charges for using city centre car parks to be cut.

Restaurants and other evening businesses in streets such as Fossgate and Walmgate had complained about loss of business since the lines were painted in spring last year, forcing customers to park some distance away in offstreet car parks.

They said some customers were reluctant to walk through the dark streets to and from the restaurant, because of concerns about matters such as personal security. Parking charges in car parks have since been cut, and the council's executive agreed earlier this year to replace the parking bans with metered parking bays in Duncombe Place, Goodramgate, Walmgate, Fossgate, Lendal, Piccadilly, St Denys' Road, Piccadilly and Stonebow.

But the proposal then had to be advertised through the publication of Traffic Orders before it could be implemented, and there were further delays in obtaining the meters. The meters are now up and working in streets including Fossgate, and a council spokeswoman said that by the end of this week, they would be installed and operating in all nine streets.

Michael Hjort, proprietor of Meltons Too in Fossgate, one of the restaurants affected by the parking ban, said he was delighted by the arrival of the meters. "It will help," he said.

He said that parking bays had been painted in the street some months ago, but had only been available for use by people with Frequent User Passes, which had led to some confusion for other motorists.

Caroline Fannon, deputy manager at the Dean Court Hotel, in Duncombe Place, said the return of on-street parking was "good news."

She said that since the yellow lines had been painted, there had been complaints from customers unhappy about the restrictions. She felt most people could live with the £1 or £2 charge.

Updated: 10:25 Tuesday, November 15, 2005