Update on City Centre Access improvements

A report providing an update on access arrangements, and suggested enhancements to help support safety and mobility for all within York’s footstreet area, will go to a public decision session meeting next week.

This report follows extensive engagement work with residents, partners and key stakeholders on how the City of York Council can support a vibrant, accessible and safe city centre. It also sets out the next steps to improve access to and through the city centre footstreets.

The report asks the executive member to note and review the progress to-date including:

• Implementing a range of mitigations to improve access into the city centre, including prioritising the programme of dropped kerbs and improved pavements.

• The previously approved additional dedicated disabled bays have all been installed ‘on street’, with the implementation of further bays to be kept under review.

• The employment of an access officer, who will lead and deliver on accessibility services and projects across the city on an ongoing basis, following consultation with disability group representatives. Future projects which will be led by the access officer include:

• Working with representatives of disability groups and disabled residents to assess the use of mobility aids in the footstreet areas
• work with the Quality Bus Partnership, and local disability representative groups to review how drivers prioritise wheelchair users’ access
• work on the co-production of additional seating to be provided at key points along routes in to and around the city centre
• work to improve the Dial&Ride and Shopmobility offer
• develop a York standard for access, more and better seating, feasibility study over an accessible shuttle service and improved access and service information
• improve access to disabled toilets in the city centre through multi-partner provision. This is being progressed through a new scheme to work with private sector businesses to identify all disabled toilets and reach agreement that disabled people could use them without being a paying customer.

• The consultation on removing the exemptions and waivers in the footstreet area to fulfil the advice received by counter-terrorism experts started on Thursday 10 March and will run until Friday 1 April 2022. Depending on the level of response, it is currently proposed to be debated at either May/June decision session for the Executive Member for Transport.

• Continue to work with disabled groups to identify two car parks for priority investment to improve disabled parking facilities and onward access routes into the city centre.

This is the first step towards making it easier for residents and visitors with accessibility concerns to find out the information they need to plan ahead and enjoy our city. Further improvements to available information will be shared later in March.

For more information visit: www.york.gov.uk/DisabledAccess   

Cllr Andy D’Agorne, Deputy Leader of City of York Council and Executive Member for Transport said: “These improvements set out our desire to ensure that the city centre is safe and welcoming for all. Throughout the first few months of this work, we have faced various practical challenges whilst trying to implement the actions agreed, particularly those inherent to our historic city centre streets. Despite this, we are progressing with the action plan.

“Whilst balancing the need to keep people safe, we are introducing a number of measures we hope will make the city centre more accessible. We are prioritising the introduction of more dropped kerbs and more disabled parking bays, whilst investing in such crucial services as Dial & Ride and Shopmobility.

“As well as more ways to help people get to the city centre we also want to make it a better space for all to enjoy, with more seating areas, more accessible and better disabled toilets and improved pavements.

“The input of residents, businesses and stakeholders has helped to shape this work and future plans, and we will continue to consult and share updates.”

The decision session will take place on Tuesday 22 March. To read the report visit Agenda for Decision Session - Executive Member for Transport on Tuesday, 22 March 2022, 10.00 am (york.gov.uk)

To watch the meeting visit www.york.gov.uk/webcasts