YORK's bid to improve its transport network has been discussed in the House of Commons.

Hugh Bayley, the city's MP, pressed the case for additional facilities in a House of Commons debate yesterday and asked ministers to back the city's bid to improve its road infrastructure.

In a debate on Transport Infrastructure (Yorkshire and Humberside), Mr Bayley raised the recent meeting he convened between Rosie Winterton MP, Minister for Transport, and City of York Council to discuss the transport investment recommendations of the Future York Group.

Mr Bayley said: "I seek Government support for three schemes.

"The first is the council's bid for funding for three new park-and-ride sites.

"The first such site to be constructed was at Askham Bar, the Leeds gateway to York, just off the A64. That is now used by 600,000 passengers a year.

The site has room for 550 cars; it is normally full by 10am, and drivers are rerouted to other sites, thereby lengthening their journey.

The idea is to replace that site with one nearby with space for 1,250 cars.

"The second change would be to construct a new park-and-ride site where the A59 crosses the northern ring road close to Poppleton, and to change the junction to improve traffic flows on the ring road. That would provide space for 750 cars.

"Thirdly, there would be a 750-space park-and-ride site on Wigginton road, with additional bus priority measures from there into York."

Mr Bayley added that the improved road facilities would not have a negative environmental impact and suggested that Park and Ride schemes would further enhance the city's quest to reduce congestion.

"The view that all road transport investment is bound to increase pollution is wrong. A good example of its wrongness is the investment in York park-and-ride schemes over the years, which has hugely reduced the number of car journeys."

York is set to make a bid to the regional transport board for £160 million to pay for improvements to the outer ring road, some of which could be dualled.

The city is also poised to bid for £26.5 million to fund three new Park&Ride sites.

The Highways Agency is proposing to bid for £7 million to fund upgrades to the Hopgrove roundabout.

The bids are collectively known as Access York.