THE Evening Press was hailed today, as it headed for another victory in its campaign to stop York's "highway robbery".

City councillors are being urged to lift a ban on evening parking in nine city centre streets.

Officers say metered parking bays should be created instead in Duncombe Place, Lendal, Piccadilly, Goodramgate, Fossgate, Walmgate, Davygate, St Deny's Road and Blake Street.

Motorists with Minster badges in the windscreen to prove they live in the City of York Council area would pay just £1 for an evening, while visitors would pay £2.

However, officers say the parking ban should remain on three paved footstreets - Parliament Street, Davygate and St Sampson's Square - because of concerns about the environmental impact of meters and street markings.

They say "yellow" lines should be painted in cream colour, appropriate to the conservation area, to ensure motorists realise they cannot park.

Councillors are also being urged to give up to five free Frequent User Passes to charities which are situated inside or close to the inner ring road and operate after 6pm.

The Evening Press Stop The Highway Robbery campaign was launched last year to oppose sky-high evening parking charges and yellow lines which had been painted on streets across the city centre to prevent evening parking.

City centre businesses had complained that the on-street ban, coupled with car park charges of up to £5 for an evening, would severely damaging their trade. Charities also claimed that evening charges and restrictions were hitting volunteers who worked in the evening.

The council dramatically cut evening car park charges last year but then ordered a review of several aspects of parking in York, including the yellow lines.

A report by the city council's head of network management, Peter Evely, says market research had revealed "reasonable" support for additional evening metered parking, and he called for its phased introduction. The first phase would involve Duncombe Place, Walmgate, Lendal, Blake Street and Stonebow.

A subsequent phase would involve Goodramgate, Fossgate, Piccadilly and St Denys Road.

David Brooks, manager of the Dean Court Hotel in Duncombe Place, said: "It's very, very welcome news."

He said the removal of the parking ban would help the city's evening economy, and praised the Evening Press campaign, which he believed had helped make "common sense" prevail.

Updated: 10:20 Wednesday, March 09, 2005