Labour councillor Jonny Crawshaw, who last year succesfully proposed closure of Micklegate Bar to protect the ancient monument has given his support to the closure being made permanent.
The council’s Executive Member for Transport will consider permanent closure of the Bar to outbound motor vehicle traffic at a meeting on 29th August. Cllr Crawshaw, together with fellow Micklegate Labour councillor Pete Kilbane, say the temporary closure has been a great success and should now be formalised.
Cllr. Crawshaw said: “I believe the temporary closure has had a hugely positive impact in terms of preserving the ancient scheduled monument of Micklegate Bar. It has had a similarly positive impact on Micklegate itself which is now a far more pleasant street as a result of the reduced traffic. It is my understanding that the vast majority of traders also support making the outbound closure permanent and I believe the closure has overwhelming support in the wider community too. I hope this will be a straight forward decision”.
The councillors, as part of their submission on the Bar closure, have requested appropriate signage is added at the bottom of Micklegate indicating to drivers that there is no through-access to Blossom Street.
And Cllr. Kilbane said there are other steps that ward councillors would like to see follow a positive Micklegate Bar decision. “We have called for a wider review of traffic management in the Bishophill area – linked to the access scheme at Victoria Bar – given the clear potential for improving resident access to Bishophill whilst making public realm improvements at both Micklegate and Victoria Bars.
“It also makes sense that should Micklegate Bar closure be made permanent, the street itself is made one-way to motor vehicle traffic with a contraflow cycle lane. We look forward to working with the Executive Member and highways officers to deliver these improvements for residents”.