Views sought over buses-only plan for city streets

Buses stuck in congestion in York's Rougier Street, part of the proposed bus priority area

One of the busiest areas of York could be closed to cars and taxis as the city council pushes to cut congestion and make buses more reliable.

The Labour-run authority has launched a consultation over its plans to keep part of Rougier Street, George Hudson Street and part of Micklegate open only to buses and emergency vehicles, a system known as a "bus gate".

Kate Ravilious, the senior Labour councillor in charge of transport, said a bus journey through the proposed priority area took six minutes longer in 2025 than it did in 2019.

"The problem we have in York is that the city is jammed with congestion and people can't get around and buses are jammed in that congestion," she said.

Ravilious urged people to get involved in the eight-week consultation on the proposed "Rougier Route".

'Real benefits'

If given the go-ahead, the restrictions - enforced by automatic number plate recognition cameras - would start as an 18-month trial next summer.

Ravilious said: "We have 1,000 buses a day passing along there. Making it a bus priority corridor will mean our buses are more reliable and their journey time is reduced by up to five minutes.

"It would bring real benefits not just for people in the city, but for people in the surrounding area, because those buses all travel through that corridor and all get jammed up."

Ravilious said City of York Council was not "anti-car", and denied the proposals were about bringing in extra money for the authority's under-pressure finances.

She said that if, after the 18-month trial was completed, there had been no benefits to bus journey times, or if any improvement was minimal, the scheme would be ended.

"We are not here to make people's lives miserable or to do something ineffective. That is the whole reason for the trial: to understand how it works," she explained.

"It also gives us time to understand how we can make use of the space that has been created.

"It will give us time to engage with businesses and say, if we've made Micklegate one-way, what can we do with this extra space?"

Ian Reid, who runs Forty-Five Vinyl Cafe in Micklegate, believes the "buses-only" route will attract more customers

Ahead of the consultation launch, Ian Reid, who runs Forty-Five Vinyl Cafe in Micklegate, which sits in the proposed Rougier Route area, said he believed the changes would attract more customers to that part of the city and to his business.

"It's being narrowed to allow buses only, so there won't be as much car traffic. It's really busy and loud with the traffic as it is now," he explained.

"They're also talking about widening the pavements, which is great for customers coming by. Some room outside would be a real benefit for us."

However, Avaz Bahornov, waiting for a delayed bus to Leeds after a day studying in York, said: "I think cars should be able to drive on this street. It's not fair to block the street for them."

Meanwhile, Lynette Adams, sitting in the bus shelter opposite, said she supported the proposed scheme.

"I want to know what will happen to the local businesses, but I think it's a good idea because the buses might get here on time," she said.

Andy D'Agorne, City of York Council's former Green Party deputy leader, pointed out that work on the plan had begun under the Liberal Democrat and Green Party coalition which ran the authority until 2023.

"This is long overdue," he said.

"It will transform this traffic-choked route and benefit bus users, pedestrians and cyclists."

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