Update 29th Feb 2024 From Friday 1st March blue badge vehicle access will also be available via the Blake Street loop. Access will be via manned security barriers. The cost of manning the barriers is understood to be around £200,000 a year. Since the access via Goodramgate was opened a couple of month ago, the average number of vehicles using the option has been around 6 per day.
Earlier – Jan 2024
Three new year changes being made by the York Council which will affect the lives of some York residents.
Dial and ride bus service scapped.
Ths service, which provided door to door transport mainly for disabled and elderly York residents, was scapped from 1st January . The decision came just 9 months after two new specialist buses were provided for the service by the York Council. The service provided a valuable link to the hospital plus shopping areas and was able to access the City Centre pedestrian zone. The charity that runs the service on a day to day basis has promised to continue its car lift option, although they are activly seeking more volunteer car drivers.https://www.yorkwheels.org.uk/community-transport-in-york/ (click)
Blue badge access to footstreets
From today, blue badge holders will be able to drive their cars into the footstreet zones at any time including pedestrian hours (10:30am – 5:00pm). Access is from Goodramgate. According to the Council, “Blue badge holders will need to present a valid Blue Badge to barrier staff at the sliding bollards on Goodramgate, and have their clock card with them to display alongside their Blue Badge. They can then drive along Goodramgate, and out via the bollards at Colliergate. They can also drive both ways along Church Street and turn around at the junction with Silver Street, just beyond St Sampson’s Centre”. The scheme is costing Council taxpayers £200,000 a year to administer.
Free school meals pilots
Free school meals will be availabe to all pupils at Westfield School (lunch) and Clifton Green (breakfast) when the new school term starts. As poorer families already get free meals this will mainly affect those paremts who have higher incomes and who currently pay for their childs meals. The pilot scheme will run for one year at a cost to Council taxpayers of £100,000. NB. Around 15% of infant school aged chidren (KS1) who are entitled to free school meals opt out of the option.
The numbers taking free school meals at each York school can be found by clicking this link
York News Focus 