SMARTER and more reliable traffic signals are set to be rolled out across York after the city received a £500,000 cash boost from the Government.

York is one of 39 local authority areas across the country to receive the funding from the Government's Traffic Signals Maintenance Grant, which is earmarked to make road travel safer and greener for users, while also by cutting congestion, journey times and emissions.

Councillor Andy D'Agorne, executive member for transport at the City of York Council, said he was "delighted" at the cash injection.

He said: “This funding will help provide new, more reliable, traffic signals to be installed across the city as part of the continuation of our Traffic Signal Asset Renewal Programme, which replaces outdated traffic signals across the city, and enables the new systems to link direct to the council’s Traffic and Control Centre, so that the network monitoring officers can manage the flow of traffic better in busy periods by adjusting traffic lights to best suit traffic conditions.”

It is hoped the investment will modernise traffic signals, which will in turn reduce traffic queues and provide better facilities for both pedestrians and cyclists.

It comes as part of the Government’s work to ‘level up’ transport across the country.

Julian Sturdy, Conservative MP for York Outer, welcomed the Government's commitment.

He said: “It is good to see the Government’s promised commitment to investing in a wide range of transport infrastructure in the North being delivered on.

"I urge the city council to target the £500,000 into projects that maximise the economic and environmental benefits for the city as a whole.”

The city's Traffic Signal Asset Renewal Programme budget is increasing from £1.2 million to £1.7 million for this financial year.