‘Safer for pedestrians’: Plan to make York road one-way gets green light

Plans to close a city centre ‘rat run’ have been agreed.

Navigation Road, which is used by some drivers as a cut through to avoid waiting at the lights at Walmgate Bar and traffic in Foss Islands Road, will be made one way for a short stretch just after the junction with Rosemary Place and the entrance to Rowntree Wharf car park, with traffic only allowed to travel southbound.

The scheme aims to improve the route for residents, pedestrians and cyclists.

Local councillor Denise Craghill said: “I’ve been campaigning for a long time to get some measures in place to slow down the traffic cutting through Navigation Road and to make the area safer for pedestrians, so I am very pleased that we have now reached this point.

“As an edge of centre area Navigation Road has a rich mix of residents with many students as well as families and quite a lot of older people.

“Whilst some people may feel confident crossing busy roads there are many older residents, people with mobility difficulties and families with young children who find the speed and frequency of traffic cutting through here off-putting and at times dangerous.”

The one way change will be introduced on a trial basis and can be altered.

The bollards at either end of Hungate bridge will be repositioned and signs updated.