Traffic lights plan to tackle most polluted street

York's busy Gillygate is believed to have the worst level of air quality in the city

A trial scheme to reduce the amount of standing traffic in York's most polluted street has been approved, despite fears it could mean a rise in congestion in nearby roads.

Changes to traffic light sequencing in Gillygate were approved by councillors on Thursday, with the experiment expected to last for a year.

York Council transport spokesperson Kate Ravilious said action was needed for the sake of people's health, but she added that teething problems were expected as drivers adjusted to the changes.

Ravilious said: "Small changes to traffic signals is one thing we can do to address poor air quality. It should reduce the amount of standing traffic."

Brendan Hopkins, from Gillygate Air Quality Action Group, monitors traffic levels on the street

Pollution in Gillygate has remained above legal limits despite the latest council air quality data showing it had fallen between 2022 and 2023, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Ravilious told the council's Transport Decision Session that "although we can see air quality has improved, it's not enough to give us confidence this is a consistent trend".

The narrowness of Gillygate, combined with tall buildings either side of it, was believed to create a "canyon effect" where emissions from traffic gathered rather than scattered, councillors heard.

Findings from the trial would be used to help make changes to traffic management in other parts of the city prone to congestion or poor air quality, they were told.

But members also heard there was a risk that issues such as traffic moving to other roads such as Lord Mayor's Walk and Clarence Street could offset the benefits to Gillygate.

Gillygate trader Jordan Thomson says he regularly has to clean a layer of dust from his shop caused by standing traffic

Jordan Thomson, owner of the Love Cheese shop on Gillygate, said air pollution on the street was definitely an issue.

He said there was a layer of dust from the cars which he had to clean every morning, adding: "It gets into all the gaps."

Meanwhile, Liam Sherwood, from Sore Thumb Retro Games, said: "You can see straight away that it gets black really quickly and you can see dust and stuff."

Mr Sherwood said he had to clean the premises more often, and the "black sooty dirt" was "not very nice".

Brendan Hopkins, from the Gillygate Air Quality Action Group, whose members monitor traffic in the area, explained: "The canyonesque quality of the street basically traps the air."

The council had been very supportive of change to tackle the issue, Mr Hopkins added.

Gillygate resident John Gannon and York Civic Trust transport lead Tony May told Thursday's meeting that while the trial was welcome, a city-wide reduction in traffic was needed to tackle pollution long-term.

The effects of the air quality trial would be monitored throughout 2025 and would include studying its impact on emergency vehicles, City of York Council said.

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