Nightmare traffic jams on routes leading to a popular York retail park could be eased under plans for a new relief road.

Traders on the Clifton Moor retail park today welcomed proposals for a new access road to the busy estate on the outskirts of the city and said they were long over-due.

And police said anything which eased congestion and stopped motorists' tempers fraying was good for road safety.

But the AA said planners should wait until the Government's White Paper on transport was published in May before making a decision about a road.

If approved by the City of York Council, the road - linking the A1237 Wigginton Road roundabout to the southern part of the estate where the Warner Bros cinema complex is located - could be completed in just four months.

It would particularly ease the problems of tailbacks faced by motorists approaching Clifton Moor from the east of York and Ryedale.And it would be a timely boost for the estate, which faces imminent competition from the Monk's Cross shopping development at Huntington and the proposed complex at Naburn, south of the city.

Bill Heath, chairman of the Clifton Moor Business Association, said: "It's a welcome move -we're really pleased because it will ease the congestion at the Tesco roundabout. We've been wanting it for years."

Marianne Watson, sales manager at Matalan, said: "It will benefit us as it will come direct to us. At the moment our customers have to go around Tesco and the traffic is always quite bad.

"The ring road at the top was never built big enough. I know myself and my family say we are not going to Clifton Moor at the weekend because it is manic, it's renowned for that."

Chief Inspector Gary Barnett, head of operations at York police, added: "Anything that reduces traffic congestion and keeps people's tempers better, is generally better for safer driving."

The road is intended to improve access to Phase Two of the development - including the new Rank nightclub complex - and to reduce congestion on the outer ring road.

However it could lead to three months of roadworks on a busy ring-road roundabout.

The application, submitted by Orionvink BV, owners of part of the Clifton Moor site, also proposes to enlarge the A1237 Wigginton Road roundabout, where the road will begin.

Environmentalists today warned the new road would simply add to the chaos.

Andy Chase, of York Green Party, said: "A lot of these problems will simply move themselves down into the Wigginton Road area."He added: "When you build roads, it doesn't relieve congestion. Very often it causes more congestion - it just moves the bottleneck from one place to another.

See COMMENT Easing queues at Clifton Moor

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