Annually, each Make it York and Metropolis of York Council organise the six-week lengthy Christmas Market – which spans throughout Parliament Road, St Sampson’s Sq., and Coppergate.

Whereas the market closed on Saturday (December 7) due to Storm Darragh, final Saturday (November 30), York Cycle Marketing campaign member and lively journey advocate Andy Farndale cycled into the town centre by way of Fulford Street and Tower Road.

“I’m coming down Fulford Street, it was fully blocked, I pulled my bicycle onto the pavement and thought ‘that is silly’,” he stated.

“The roads have been blocked. The pavements have been overflowing. After I noticed Parliament Road, I assumed God assist anybody that’s in there.

“Coney Road was rammed, it was all completely rammed.”

Andy stated the dimensions of the crowds is “not manageable anymore”. He added: “For the world we’re attempting to place them into and the impact its having on the roads and security, it is an excessive amount of.

“I would like folks to wish to come again to York and expertise it correctly when its quieter.

“I’m not towards markets, I’m not towards enterprise, I’m simply frightened about folks being crushed or tripping.”

Metropolis of York Council’s former government member for transport, Andy D’Agorne, added: “I feel its about getting the steadiness proper, the town is susceptible to being a sufferer of its personal success.”

York’s chief of the Liberal Democrats, Cllr Nigel Ayre, stated: “York’s recognition as a vacation spot stays robust however there may be actually scope to have a look at how the Christmas Market is configured in future years.

“For instance, wouldn’t it be attainable for the market to be unfold out throughout websites across the metropolis moderately than concentrated in a single space? Which may assist to cut back crowd congestion.

“Any discussions should embody native companies, for a lot of of whom the Christmas interval is a crucial time of 12 months to boost earnings.”

Standstill visitors in Tower Road (Picture: Andy Farndale) Cllr Kate Ravilious, government member for transport at Metropolis of York Council, responded to the considerations, saying that the council was dedicated to studying classes from the Christmas Market annually.

She added: “It’s nice that so many individuals wish to go to York to get pleasure from our wide selection of festive points of interest, and customer spending is important for a lot of in York whose livelihoods depend on a powerful customer financial system.

“We’ve, and proceed to encourage guests to make use of sustainable transport choices. 

“We would like everybody to expertise the most effective that York has to supply, and never be caught up in visitors jams – however to try this, we want everybody’s assist, and extra folks to catch the Park and Experience, considered one of our 40 bus routes, or the prepare, or select to stroll or cycle.  

“Yearly we work with the occasion organisers to evaluation and study classes.

“Our dedication to bettering is ongoing and with Make it York we shall be reviewing all of the preparations in time for subsequent 12 months’s market.”

What do you assume?

Ship your views in a letter to: letters@thepress.co.uk

Write not more than 250 phrases and please present your full title, tackle, and cellular quantity.