ANGRY residents fear a golden opportunity to rid their streets of a twice-daily traffic nightmare is set to be wasted under plans for a new access road into a York school.

Householders have complained for years about the “absolute chaos” in Fulfordgate every weekday morning and afternoon, when a convoy of school buses trundles along to enter and leave Fulford School, and when parents also drop off and pick up their children.

They hoped a proposed new access road, directly into the school from the A19 via Germany Beck, would solve their problem.

But they say they were baffled and frustrated when they found that the road may only be used for accessing the school site and not for exiting it, with vehicles continuing to exit via Fulfordgate and Heslington Lane, meaning continuing congestion and danger for pedestrians - including pupils walking to and from school.

One resident, Dave Gamston, said the failure to completely remove school transport from Fulfordgate and perpetuate the danger and disruption was a ‘betrayal of, and insult to, the known wishes and hopes of residents'.

He asked whether the cost of a child’s life had been factored into viability assessments,along with daily school traffic mayhem along Fulfordgate, Heslington Lane and Main Street, growing traffic congestion, air pollution and continuing vibration damage to properties.

Several residents wrote last month to school head teacher Steve Lewis, saying that as the school’s closest neighbours, they looked only for a good, friendly and cooperative relationship but he had rebuffed their request for a dialogue which could help develop a planning application that would be broadly acceptable to all parties.

Mr Lewis told The Press: "We have been asked to expand the capacity of the school to meet the need for school places within our local community.

“Part of the planning process involves looking at site entry and exit for pupils and traffic. We are are working closely with all stakeholders to minimise the amount of traffic coming through Fulfordgate. Consultation on school expansion is ongoing.”

Fulford councillor Keith Aspden said he had offered to make representations on residents’ behalf and call-in any planning application to the planning committee, which would need to take into account their views.

City of York Council head of transport Tony Clarke said potential access options had been discussed at meetings with local residents but the school’s layout and limited availability of land meant there were only a very limited number of viable solutions.

“Making use of a new access route through the Germany Beck Development has the potential to reduce the level of bus traffic along Fulfordgate significantly, however delivery would be dependent on changes to the way the school operates.”