Campaigners and ward councillors are outraged after it emerged a proposed cycle route through Acomb has been slashed by more than half.
Members of York Cycle Campaign and Labour councillors want to know why plans for the Acomb Road cycle scheme have been cut from 1.5 miles to 0.6 miles.
The original scheme was the subject of a successful bid to the Department for Transport for funding.
Labour transport spokesperson and Holgate ward councillor, Rachel Melly, said the scheme had since been “decimated”.
City of York Council said no firm decisions had been made, with executive member for transport, Andy D’Agorne, set to hold a meeting on active travel schemes next week.
Nathan Horner, who rides his six-year-old daughter to school on a bike, has reported 70 careless driving incidents in the last year on the stretch which has been removed.
He said: “It leaves the most dangerous stretch of road adrift, and provides no commitment as to when the remainder of the scheme will get underway, just stating dates TBC.”
Council documents show that the latest proposal seeks to improve conditions for cyclists in Acomb between Hebden Rise and The Fox junction – but work west of Hebden Rise is no longer included in the scheme.
Instead, this “can be considered as part of a separate ‘Acomb Regeneration’ scheme,” the documents state.
Mr Horner added: “It transpires that the abandoned section is being blocked for some future Acomb regeneration project – which I am all for – that has no detail, timeline or indeed funding as yet.”
‘Not a safe route’
Labour Acomb ward councillor Katie Lomas said: “This replacement scheme will not provide a safe cycling route for residents of Acomb ward to the shops and services in the Front Street area and will not support families living in Acomb ward in choosing active travel to get to school.”
Holgate ward councillor Kallum Talyor said: “The main attraction of the initial scheme was its length and its coherence, rather than just another limited and isolated scheme that York is so used to.”
The initial scheme ran through three council wards – Holgate, Acomb and Westfield – but Westfield, represented by Liberal Democrat councillors Andrew Waller, Simon Daubeney and Sue Hunter, has since been cut from the scheme.
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Coun D’Agorne said the council had considered responses from all ward councillors when considering the plans.
York Cycle Campaign said they had not heard from the Westfield ward councillors about their reaction to the news.
Spokesperson Kate Ravillious said: “We are left reluctantly concluding that councillors Waller, Daubeney and Hunter objected to the active travel scheme running through their ward, and strong-armed the executive member for transport to abandon this significant section.”
Coun D’Agorne will consider several other walking and cycling schemes totalling over £3.3 million at Monday’s meeting.
A council spokesperson said: “The very purpose of taking these decisions in public is to explore the scope of projects, before the more detailed work on feasibility, design and delivery phasing commences.
“During Monday’s meeting, the executive member for transport will consider all representations and seek to make any necessary and appropriate modifications to the proposals in light of the technical advice from transport experts.
“All schemes in the project will be subject to full consultation, with ward councillors, all relevant stakeholders and residents having the chance to have their say before the final design will be delivered to best suit their communities.”