Green transport campaigners have called for plans to create extra parking space at York District Hospital to be rejected because they fear the result will be greater air pollution in the city's streets.

They say hospital chiefs should not have put the scheme forward, and argue that extra traffic leads to worsening health due to respiratory problems and accidental injuries.

Anna Semlyen, of the York Cycle Campaign, has urged local people to write to council transport officers objecting to the proposal, claiming it will lead to city streets becoming "gridlocked".

She says the plans by the York NHS Trust to build a single deck over part of the existing car park would increase the number of spaces at the Wigginton Road site by over 200.

"Cars attracted to the new parking supply will cause a 335 per cent increase in morning congestion and 275 per cent in the evening. The result - city gridlock.

"We must not allow that to happen. Nor should the hospital have applied for the extra parking, given that traffic worsens our health in respiratory diseases, accidents and subsequent disability," she said. "Traffic reduction is the only effective cure for our problem."

The group has also invited local people to a meeting on traffic pollution next Thursday at 7.30pm in York's Guildhall. It is calling on people not to drive there.

It suggests that for further information about the meeting people should contact Anna, telephone York 654355.

Graham Sheath, programme manager secondary care at York District Hospital, said: "The objective of increasing the number of car parking spaces is to enable patients and visitors to get on and off our site more easily."

Mr Sheath said the hospital had also taken a range of initiatives to encourage its staff to travel by alternative methods, including provision of an additional 100 secure bicycle parking spaces.

The trust was also running trials of two staff bus services.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.