COPPERGATE Riverside would mean only minor increases in traffic which could easily be accommodated, an engineer has claimed.

And congestion on York's Fishergate gyratory would be eased by plans to allow traffic emerging from Piccadilly to turn right towards Skeldergate Bridge.

John Hicks was yesterday speaking as a witness for developers Land Securities at the public inquiry into the company's £60 million scheme to redevelop land between Clifford's Tower and Piccadilly.

He dismissed suggestions by campaign group York Tomorrow that the development was not sustainable. He said his own transport assessment had considered potential increases in traffic volume and the impact on congestion, and concluded there would be an extra 74 vehicle movements in an hour during the Saturday lunchtime peak and an additional 32 movements during the weekday evening peaks.

"I consider that this would be imperceptible and insignificant. These traffic generation estimates have been reviewed by, and agreed with, officers for City of York Council," he said.

"My analysis concludes that the minor increases in traffic flow can readily be accommodated on the local highway network."

He also claimed there would also be benefits to the highway network, for example through the removal of queuing traffic at the entrance to the Castle Car Park, which frequently stretched back to Tower Street.

"Also opening up the central reservation at the Piccadilly/Tower Street junction to permit right-turn out movements under traffic signal control will reduce traffic volumes on the Fishergate gyratory, thereby improving its operation."

Mr Hicks said some people had said more parking should be provided, while others had suggested there should be less parking to encourage non-car travel.

He claimed that the proposals for a new multi-storey car park in Piccadilly to compensate for the loss of the Castle Car Park represented a practical balance, with a net gain of seven parking spaces.

He dismissed suggestions that the extra traffic in Piccadilly would cause gridlock, saying his analysis had shown that the Piccadilly junction had adequate capacity to accommodate predicted traffic flows.

He added that the site's location at the hub of the city's walking, cycling and public transport networks meant that people would have an excellent choice of access other than by car. There would be an additional 450 cycle parking spaces and new pedestrian and cycle bridges over the River Foss.

Later, Mr Hicks came under lengthy cross-examination by Jonathan Tyler, of the campaign group York Tomorrow.

Mr Tyler suggested there was a huge amount of uncertainty about traffic levels after Coppergate Riverside was built, but Mr Hicks denied this, saying his analysis had been "robust."

Mr Tyler questioned whether Piccadilly could cope with the additional traffic generated by a new car park, but Mr Hicks said anticipated volumes were well below the road's capacity.

Mr Hicks's cross-examination was expected to continue through much of today.

The inquiry continues.

Updated: 11:20 Friday, February 08, 2002