If a mainline station is to be opened in Haxby I propose an alternative site to the one the City of York transport planners have chosen.

Their plans would place the station on the site of the one opened in 1845, which was then on the edge of a village but is now in the middle of housing.

It is on the narrowest road in Haxby and one which is further congested twice a day by school-run traffic clashing with parking by visitors to the library. Its position would draw traffic through the whole of the town from Wigginton on the west and the big Haxby housing estates plus ring road traffic to the south, and a new bus service would have to be created to service it.

Finally, there is no room for car parking unless Haxby's only allotments are annexed.

The alternative is to build on a green field site between the southern boundary of Haxby and the ring road. This would allow for a purpose-built station close to the ring road, with ample car parking. It would easily be accessible from Huntington, Earswick and New Earswick without any traffic going through Haxby and some of the existing traffic flows from the town and Wigginton would be siphoned off before reaching the ring road or New Earswick. It would be on the route of existing bus services and there would be space to redesign the road for traffic filtering in and out.

In 1845, Haxby was a village of 500 residents; it is now a town of some 9000. Haxby has moved on... can the planners' thinking match its progress?

F T Smith,

Ashwood Glade, Haxby.

Updated: 10:13 Friday, August 06, 2004