RADICAL alternatives to car travel to stop York becoming gridlocked will be the subject of a public debate evening being organised by green transport campaigners.

The open evening, which will be free and open to all, will be aimed at telling people more about what could be done to tackle the growing problem of more cars on the roads.

Jim McGurn, transport adviser at Open Road, one of the groups organising the evening, said in York's German twin town of Munster, almost half of all journeys made in the city were made by bicycle.

"It's the same in many cities on the continent," he said.

"In Ghent, in Belgium, they have a pedal-powered taxi system and goods are delivered to shops in the city centre by bike,

"We need to look at having cycle parking stations and bike hiring facilities at railway stations.

"We've got ideas from around the world which we'll be talking about."

Everything from parking to pedestrianisation, and from electric bikes to skateboards to Sustrans will be on the agenda at the debate on February 24, and organisers have invited local businesses, councillors and public transport bosses. There will also be presentations about various York projects during the evening, including the Millennium Bridge project and the York Wheelhouse Project.

Anna Semlyen, from York Cycling Campaign, another group involved, said: "Driving is becoming a bad habit, like smoking - I think there will come a time where driving for short journeys will become unacceptable.

She said her group aimed to double the number of people using cycles in York by the year 2006.

"We're not talking about people never driving again, but everyone making a marginal change can make the difference."

And, she said, people should not rely on the council introducing schemes, they should press for action by contacting councillors, transport companies and employers. "People can share lifts to work, travel less often, work at home more," she said.

"Employers can put up lift-share notice-boards - some people who want to share lifts don't know who to ask. They can install modems in people's home so they can work from home.

"We'll be encouraging people to ask for their Neighbourhood Forum budgets to be spent on alternative travel or to write to bus companies if they want more bus services.

"It's all about how to change York for the better - if we keep on the same path the city will not survive - eventually it will come to a standstill at peak times."

"Getting Around York - Alternatives for the Future" opens at 7.30pm with presentations and debate starting at 8pm on February 24, at the Guildhall, York.

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