Tell us where you'd like improvements
We’ve been blown away by the response to our petition which has smashed the 2,500 signatures threshold and still has new signatories each day. So thank you for taking the time to sign it, and also to all of you who shared it with friends and family.
There is clear demand for action in the city, so York Cycle Campaign have just launched a new Safe Streets York initiative using the online mapping tool Commonplace. This will help us crowdsource locations around the city that cause unnecessary frustration and danger to residents and visitors getting about on foot and by bike. The process is simple; find the issue on the map - tell us what it is - hit submit! We’ll then campaign for the council to resolve these and make the aspirations of the petition you signed a reality.
Give it a go at SafeStreetsYork.Commonplace.is
As the country eases out of lockdown, how we get around the city is going to drastically change. To minimise the risk of a second wave, public transport is severely limiting the number of passengers they can take on board. Those passengers are going to have to find new ways of getting around, and if they all take to driving we’ll all be facing a traffic meltdown.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has now made £867k of additional money available to the council specifically to fund temporary measures that make walking and cycling around the city safer and more attractive for those that can, to try and avert traffic chaos in the city. Last week York Civic Trust released a document identifying a broad strategy where this fund could be used, with the input of York Cycle Campaign.
Nobody knows York’s roads better than those who live and work here, so York Cycle Campaign have taken advantage of consultation company Commonplace’s offer for free access to local authorities and community groups during COVID-19. Using the Commonplace site anyone can identify the issues they encounter on their journeys to schools, shops, workplaces and more. This will allow us to quickly build a picture of the worst problem points. York Cycle Campaign will be making this information available to the council in the hope that it will inform the spending their plans for the DfT fund so that it can be used as efficiently as possible. We’ll also be happy to provide the information to ward councillors and other other organisations so they can understand and act upon concerns in their areas better.
Similar projects across the UK have seen huge uptake and are allowing local communities to initiate measures where they’re needed, including Leeds which has now had over 3000 comments logged. We’re hoping that York’s can be a similar success, so please visit the site and tell us your concerns.