AN online poll taken by a local councillor saw a majority of respondents say they wanted the trial HGV ban at Norton level crossing to end.

Last week, 66 per cent of more than 1,000 respondents to district and county councillor Keane Duncan’s social media poll said they wanted the ban to cease, with 34 per cent saying it should become permanent.

The informal test of public opinion came amid disagreements among councillors on the contentious 18-month trial ban, which came into force last February, and continues until August 25.

Cllr Duncan favours ending the trial, arguing that it is “unpopular, ineffective and dangerous”.

“The evidence shows no change in HGV numbers at Butcher Corner and no impact on air quality,” he said.

“Yet the knock-on cost in Highfield Road, Church Street and a long list of villages within a 10-mile radius is immense.

“How much longer do we have to endure the effects of this reckless, ill-conceived scheme?”

But a report to RDC’s policy and resources committee last Thursday suggested that, although it looks like HGV traffic has been “redistributed” to other areas, crude data from the air quality monitoring stations in Castlegate show “significant reductions” in levels of the nitrogen dioxide pollutant in 2018.

The report also suggested that increased HGV levels in the Highfield Lane and Pasture Lane areas of Malton may be due to the three large housing sites currently under construction in that part of town, rather than traffic redirected from Butcher Corner.

The report added that “North Yorkshire County Council continue to monitor the crossing and the surrounding road network”.

At that meeting, Cllr Duncan’s amendment, which sought to end the ban, saw a split in opinion councillors, and was eventually voted down with four votes against, three for and one abstention.

Cllr Caroline Goodrick said: “We need the evidence - let’s continue to gather the data.”

Cllr Steve Arnold, agreed, adding: “This is an 18-month consultation and I don’t think it should be cut short.”

But Cllr Luke Ives supported Cllr Duncan, saying: “The ban’s not reducing vehicle movements, it’s just pushing it into other areas.”

The issue is set to be discussed by the district council again tomorrow (Thursday), where Cllr Duncan said he will ask the authority to note the ban’s knock-on effects and a string of public complaints with “serious concern”.

He hopes to persuade colleagues to call on North Yorkshire County Council to end its pilot scheme, launched in February, “as soon as possible”.

A public consultation on the ban’s future by North Yorkshire County Council is due to end in May.