TRANSPORT chiefs have released figures which show city car parks are often half-empty.

The findings are being hailed as an answer to critics who claim City of York Council's policy of limiting the amount of city centre spaces will strangle business.

Tracey Simpson-Laing, the council's transport spokeswoman, told councillors last night that, on some weekdays, the average occupancy of parking spaces was less than half capacity.

She read figures which showed on Saturdays there was still space.

She said: "On Saturday August 17, there was only 70 per cent total occupancy and on September 7 it was 78 per cent.

"These figures do show that the council's transport policy is working and that there is not a need for more car parking spaces in the city. People are now realising that there are other alternatives to driving into the city centre."

But Liberal Democrat leader Steve Galloway said: "I think Coun Simpson-Laing has misunderstood what the issue is.

"The issue is not that there aren't spaces, but it is that spaces are not evenly distributed. We're losing a large proportion of spaces on the west bank of the river, for example, which will make that area suffer."

Fossgate businessman Graham Audus, who runs Supersave, and who started a petition to object to the council's parking policies, said: "There are still not enough car parking spaces for what we want York to be.

"We are still short of long-term spaces. People can't come here for long enough. If they want to come to York for a day, then they will have problems finding somewhere to park.

"I also think these percentages are pretty high for an average on an August or September day. I would like to see how full they are at specific times, like between noon and 2pm on a Saturday afternoon."

Coun Simpson-Laing said: "Obviously there are city centre car parks which are always full, like the Castle car park, but there are others not far away which usually have spaces. On Saturday September 7, for example, the figures show that Foss Bank car park was only 36 per cent full.

"Soon we are going to get message signs where there are parking difficulties, which will direct motorists to car parks where there are spaces."

Last night's full council meeting also received a petition from Beckfield councillor Richard Cregan, which had been signed by 700 residents, to protest against the withdrawal of a bus service linking the area to the city centre.

He said: "There has been concern from a lot of residents on Boroughbridge Road and Beckfield Lane about the withdrawal of the number 16 service. They are asking bus operator First to retain this service for the sake of the local community."

Coun Simpson-Laing said she would speak to the company about it.

Other business considered by the council included agreeing to write to the Government urging it to fund extension of a scheme which would let every house in the city have their recyclable waste collected from their doorstep.

Councillors voted to invite North Yorkshire Police's new chief constable to speak with them.

- Council members gathered before the meeting for a briefing on the development of the "teardrop" site between York railway station and Leeman Road.

It is planned to develop the 35 hectare site, with hopes for 6,000 new jobs and almost 3,000 new homes.

Updated: 11:59 Wednesday, September 18, 2002