PLANS for a controversial traffic ban in Pickering Market Place on Mondays have been defended.

The Press told last week how traders are organising a petition to fight the scheme, which is intended to be a year-long experiment.

The traders say it will damage their livelihoods.

But County Coun Greg White, who represents Pickering at County Hall, said it was what the vast majority of local residents wanted.

He said: "The initial survey, carried out and funded by the County Council in 2005, was comprehensive in that it was sent to every household in Pickering along with an explanatory leaflet and it sought opinion on a large number of possible transport schemes.

"Thousands of Pickering's residents completed and returned their survey form and an overwhelming majority of these supported the Market Place Scheme. At the same time local interest groups were consulted on the scheme and the vast majority of these, including Pickering Town Council, also supported it.

"The recent survey, carried out and funded by myself, sought to be representative rather than comprehensive.

"The object was to test whether Pickering residents did still support the scheme, when asked in a single question survey, after being told that Market Place business owners were against the idea."

He said more than four hundred households, with around ten per cent of Pickering electors, were randomly selected and sent the survey along with a paid-for envelope for their reply.

He said the majority of respondents again supported it.

"I am personally convinced that a significant majority of Pickering residents do support the proposed scheme," he added. "The majority was reduced, presumably as a result of the business owners' interventions, but it was still nearly two to one in favour."

He said the county's officers had told him that they were confident they could deliver the scheme, but he would challenge them again in the run up to its implementation, and wants further reassurance that Castle Road will not develop into a potentially dangerous "rat run".

He said: "Throughout this debate, I have sought to retain an open minded and balanced approach, listening to the range of diverse opinion on this issue. It saddens me that some people seem intent on resorting to personal attacks, or seek to denigrate the consultation process, just because the results are not to their liking."