A VILLAGE campaign to steer lorries away from a residential road was stepped up a gear today.

Giant placards urging lorry drivers not to use East Lane, Shipton-by-Beningbrough, have been erected at its key junctions and mini placards will go up in residents' gardens, asking motorists if they have to use the lane and reminding them of the 30mph speed limit.Concerned residents carried out a survey which found 2,000 vehicles used the lane each day - one fifth of them lorries.

They say drivers use the lane, which connects the A19 with the B1363 Helmsley road, as a rat-run to avoid congestion at the Rawcliffe roundabout on the York ring road.

And they are concerned over safety, because more than 20 children live in East Lane, which also has an old people's home.After meetings with highways chiefs, proposals for an 18-month experiment to ban lorries from the lane and introduce measures to reinforce the 30mph speed limit have been mooted.

Councillors meet again to discuss the proposals on Friday, and the placard campaign has been mounted as a last-ditch attempt to persuade councillors to implement the proposals.

Eric Taylor, chairman of the East Lane Action Group, said: "Since we have started our campaign, heavy goods vehicle traffic has increased quite significantly.

"Because of the meeting on Friday, we have decided to have a day of action. We are placing a notice in the church ground with drawings by children.

"The children say they don't like the big wagons."

He added: "We have made about 20 placards some saying: "Must You Use Our Lane?" and others saying: "30 please", which a red circle around the 30. One says: 'Where Can I Ride My Bike, Mum?'"

The ban is part of a broader campaign to drive vehicles away from the village. Locals also hope to resurrect pressure for a bypass, plans for which were drawn up in 1992 but put on hold because of lack of cash.

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