Older people in York are to have their say on new plans for transport in the city as part of a massive public consultation exercise.

Last month City of York Council launched a major campaign to canvass the views of residents and raise awareness across York with leaflets, a string of public meetings and a market research survey as it prepares to draw up its new five-year transport plan.

Now the authority has arranged a special meeting with members of York Older People's Forum to make sure the city's senior citizens have the chance to highlight the transport issues which affect them.

The meeting, which is open to all older people, will take place in the Central Methodist Church, in St Saviourgate, York, at 2pm on Thursday.

It will see a council representative give a talk on its transport plans, followed by a question and answer session.

The Forum's publicity officer David Hughes said: "Transport in York is a very important issue for everyone, but some areas are more relevant to older people.

"This meeting will be a welcome opportunity for older people to have a say on the council's plans for transport in the city."

He said the state of pavements and concessions for bus travel were likely to be high on the list of issues to be discussed.

The lack of bus services on certain routes and at certain times, particularly Sundays, was also likely to be raised.

Mr Hughes said many older people relied on buses and would be keen to see improvements made.

"The message is that we must move forward on transport, so people should come along to the meeting to play their part in that," he added.

To win Government funding for transport measures in York for the next five years the authority needs to show the views of the city's residents and demonstrate there is support for its plan.

York Older People's Forum has invited council leader Coun Rod Hills and Lib Dem leader Coun Steve Galloway to talk about the new cabinet-style structure which is set to transform local government. The meeting takes place at the Central Methodist Church at 2pm on Tuesday, May 16.

reporters@ycp.co.uk

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