City of York Council today (Tuesday, February 25) celebrated the completion of its station to city centre pedestrian route - and launched a new campaign to encourage more people in the city to take up walking and cycling.

Councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing, the council's executive member for transport, joined council officers and supporters a council walking for health initiative this morning to formally mark the completion of the widened and improved railway station and launch 'Walk on by' - the council's latest Travelwise campaign to encourage residents to think about alternatives to driving around the city.

As part of its £50m Local Transport Plan, which is aimed at promoting greener transport and cutting congestion across the city, the council is committed to improving pedestrian facilities in York.

The £90,000 city centre to railway station route was completed this month and is designed to slash pedestrian congestion in an area used by thousands of locals, commuters and tourists every day.

It was formally opened today almost a year to the day after a trial of the scheme began. Improvements have included widening the footways, narrowing short stretches of the road, improving bus waiting areas, tackling obstructive street furniture and making the route more attractive and easier to walk with re-paving.

The council has also reviewed signal controlled crossing arrangements to help relieve congestion by spreading pedestrian traffic more easily across both sides of the route.

It is designed to complement other initiatives such as the successful project to pedestrianise the city centre and a city-wide priority paths network.

Last year the council revealed a huge, 36 per cent increase in the number of pedestrian journeys into the city centre and continued high levels of cycling alongside rises in bus use and falling traffic congestion.

The new Walk on by and Ride on by campaign launched today aims to build on that success. The campaign features a combination of posters, postcards and cinema and bus advertising designed to raise awareness among residents of the health benefits of choosing walking and cycling.

Opening the completed station to centre route Councillor Simpson-Laing said, "This is a major improvement to the pedestrian network for both residents and visitors. It makes the journey from the station to the city centre a safer and more enjoyable experience. Improving health is at the heart of what we are trying to do in transport and making walking a more attractive option for the whole community is crucial to that."

The widened pavements will also give York's tourist industry a boost. Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of York Tourism Bureau welcomed the enhanced footway.

She said, "This scheme is a sensitive and attractive addition to the network of pedestrian routes around the historic city centre and as a gateway for the three quarters of a million visitors that arrive in York by train every year."

Councillor Simpson-Laing said 'Walk on byÉ' would aim to get more people opting to cycle or take Shanks' pony.

She said, "As the nights are getting lighter and spring is approaching now is a great time to improve our health by walking or cycling more. Walking or cycling is an ideal opportunity to combine a daily workout with the journey to and from work. As little as 15 minutes exercise at either end of the day will have health benefits and can reduce the risk of developing heart disease and stroke."

Walk on by is being backed by the council's sport and active leisure team which launched the Walking the Way to Health Initiative last year in partnership with Selby and York Primary Care Trust and Age Concern York.

Paul Ramskill, the council's community leisure officer and chair of the Walking the Way to Health Initiative, was at the opening of the new pedestrian route today.

He said, "Walking is an easy way to keep active and healthy and is an accessible form of exercise that can be enjoyed by all members of the community. A series of regular walks has been established by the initiative across the city which complements the Walk on by campaign."

Building high-quality pedestrian and cycle networks is a key part of York's five year Local Transport Plan.

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Notes for Editors: The figures also showed a major, 14 percent rise in bus use in York since First York launched its high-frequency Metro service - a key part of private sector investment in the LTP - in September of 2001. The report also showed a huge, 36 percent increase in pedestrian journeys to the city centre. Cycling in York - already with one of the highest cycle-to-work figures in the country - has stabilised at around 15 per cent but the council has only recently launched a promotional campaign to boost cycling levels and unveiled a £1m package of improvements. The railway station to city centre route is one of the city's busiest and is used by more than 7,000 pedestrian commuters, tourists and other visitors every day. Consultations over the scheme - involving pedestrians, bus and coach companies and their customers, taxi firms, other motorists and employers in the area were all involved in the consultation - showed 80 per cent support for these improvements. Selby and York Primary Care Trust, Age Concern and City of York Council teamed up in October 2002 to launch the £20,000 Walking the Way to Health Initiative which is backed by a £9,000 grant from the Countryside Agency. The initiative promotes the health benefits of a brisk stroll and provides new opportunities to walk in the city. The project is part of the national, Walking the Way to Health Initiative (WHI) which aims to get more people walking - especially those who do little exercise or live in areas of poor health. The main aim in York is to establish a series of walks in York for groups that will benefit from becoming more physically active on a regular basis. The grant is being used to establish a series of safe and measured walking routes across the city. The York project has piloted walking routes in Acomb and Clifton Moor with local residents walking regularly. Week by week numbers have been increasing along with walking distances. A walking group is also being established in each of the four most-impoverished wards in the city with training for local volunteers to become walk leaders. A series of independent walks will also be charted to allow people to walk alone or in groups in their own leisure time. A series of leaflets is being devised to promote the scheme but any one seeking information can also contact City of York Council's community leisure officer Paul Ramskill on 01904 553372