York Outer Ring Road plans approved despite traffic concerns

Plans to dual a stretch of York Outer Ring Road have been approved, despite protests by climate campaigners.

City of York councillors unanimously voted the proposals through at a planning committee meeting on Tuesday.

Improvements would see the A1237 widened from the A19 to the A1036 Little Hopgrove roundabout.

While supporters argued it would divert traffic away from the city centre and improve journey times, objectors said traffic would eventually increase.

The £65m scheme also includes the construction of a bridge over the York to Scarborough railway line and another over the River Foss.

Before the meeting, members of Extinction Rebellion and York Green Party gathered to express their disapproval of the plans.

Richard Lane, from Extinction Rebellion, said the funds would be better spent elsewhere.

"This money needs to go on upgrading the transport infrastructure we have, making it easier to get around without cars and building car-free areas in the city centre where it's more pleasant to walk or cycle," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Andy D'Agorne, leader of the York Green Party, said: "The more road space you create, the traffic will increase and in the space of a few years we will be back to where we were but [£65m] poorer.

"We can't keep building our way out of congestion."

Supporters believed the scheme would improve congestion and air quality.

Luke Charters, a Labour Party candidate who spoke at the meeting, said: "When travelling from one side of the city to the other, open Google Maps and it may send you through the city centre rather than via the ring road. 

"This, in its most simple terms, is the greatest benefit of the scheme - to get traffic out of the city centre." 

Claire Davies, senior transport manager at the council, said 79% of respondents supported the proposals during a consultation on the matter.

Construction work is expected to take two years to complete.

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