BUSINESSES and residents are being urged to lobby hard to salvage the city’s mothballed Park&Ride expansion.

Plans to build two new sites near Poppleton and Clifton Moor and replace the existing Askham Bar facility with a larger base stalled amid the first wave of Government funding cuts.

After Wednesday’s Comprehensive Spending Review, York council may know whether it will get any of the £22.9 million originally expected from Whitehall for Access York Phase One. But confirmation about funding for individual schemes is unlikely before December.

The authority is urging residents and businesses to write to local MPs and Government ministers, highlighting the importance of such schemes in York.

Coun Steve Galloway, the council’s executive member for city strategy, said: “Not only do the new Park&Ride sites prevent many vehicles ever entering the city, associated works at key roundabouts, notably on the A59, will reduce journey times on the outer ring road.