DRIVER behaviour needs to be improved on York's roads to help combat speeding problems, councillors have said.

Members of City of York Council's city strategy panel called for a range of actions to help tackle dangerous driving.

They were speaking in response to a council report on the worst speeding hotspots in York.

Council leader Coun Steve Galloway said discussions with North Yorkshire's chief constable Grahame Maxwell about bringing in speed cameras had been positive.

"We are pushing at an open door," he said. "He has a firm commitment to reducing speeding problems and he has experience of using speed cameras in his previous force."

Coun Andy D'Agorne, leader of the Green Party in York, said: "In the long term, the only solution is a change in attitudes. The fact is even with modern vehicles if you hit someone at high speed you are likely to kill them."

As reported in The Press last week, the council had identified Gale Lane, Chaloners Road and Wigginton Road as the top three priority roads for speeding. Various others have been identified as medium or low priorities, following studies by traffic officers, and a number of people spoke in support of greater action in their streets.

One Burton Stone Lane resident said a serious accident there was "becoming inevitable". He said: "The average vehicle goes well in excess of the safe speed."

A 20mph zone exists already, but local councillor David Scott said the signs were not easily visible to motorists turning left from the A19.

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, Labour spokeswoman on transport issues, called for data on how successful vehicle-activated signs were, and committee chair Coun Ian Gillies said they should be moved around the city from time to time, to give them a greater effect.

The panel also received budget reports from officers for city strategy, the chief executive's directorate and economic development, but there was no debate as all parties are keeping their budget cards close to their chests until later in the budget process.

For full coverage of the rest of the meeting, including debates on affordable housing; antisocial behaviour; and other traffic problems in various parts of the city, see The Press tomorrow.