ROADWORKS will take place on a main road in York to upgrade traffic signals and create a new crossing for pedestrians.

City of York Council plans to carry out improvements on The Mount at the junction with Albermarle Road and the junction with Scarcroft Road.

Updated road signals should improve traffic, according to a report.

Plans also include reviewing the bike lanes and relaying the surface of the off-road cycle track, which is in a bad condition.

The council’s transport boss Cllr Andy D’Agorne will be asked to give the scheme the go-ahead at a meeting next Thursday.

A report prepared for the meeting says there will inevitably be some disruption while the work is carried out - but disturbance will be kept to a minimum and people will be given plenty of warning about when the work is going to take place.

It adds that the scheme will cost about £367,000 in total.

As part of the project a new toucan crossing would be installed at the junction of The Mount and Albemarle Road.

Some benches, signs and lights would be moved and the traffic islands on The Mount near Albermarle Road will be cleared away.

The report says: “The addition of a toucan crossing over Albermarle Road constitutes an ‘easy win’, in that it provides a desirable pedestrian facility, in an area heavily used by students from the local schools, without any significant detriment to the functioning of the junction.

"The signal pole and splitter island on the north arm of the The Mount/Dalton Terrace prove difficult to maintain and provide substandard pedestrian facilities. Pedestrians use the island, believing it offers a safe place to cross, but it offers little protection and is too narrow.”

It adds that Micklegate councillor Jonny Crawshaw asked for improvements to the pedestrian and cycle facilities in the area to be made a priority.

A new cycle traffic signal will allow cyclists to clear the junction before left-turning vehicles travelling down The Mount and enter the new 1.5m cycle lane, which will then lead them into the off-road bike route.

But some people raised concerns about the new crossing delaying cyclists on the cycle path and that removal of the traffic islands would make crossing the road difficult for less able pedestrians.

The report says there will be “adequate time for slow moving pedestrians to cross safely”.

The work should not increase car journey times in the area, according to the report.

The plans are part of a city-wide programme to upgrade traffic signals. So far 23 sets of signals have been refurbished and a further seven are scheduled for improvements in the coming year.

The meeting will take place at the council's West Offices on August 29 at 2pm.