York's footstreet barriers close 10.30am to 7.30pm on every Christmas Market day from 12 November, 5pm on Tuesdays. Where Blue Badge holders can park and drive.

York’s city centre will be shut to vehicles from 10.30am to 7.30pm on every Christmas Market day this year. That is two and a half hours longer than the usual footstreet hours, which end at 5pm.

City of York Council set out the arrangements on Wednesday. The market runs from Thursday 12 November to Monday 21 December. The restrictions end on 22 December.

The later finish came from North Yorkshire Police. The stalls close at 7pm, and the force recommended keeping the barriers shut for another half hour so that visitors can leave before vehicles are let back in.

The hours, day by day

The council’s Christmas Market access page gives the detail.

Day Barriers closed Vehicles back in
Wednesday to Monday (market open) 10.30am to 7.30pm 7.30pm until 10.30am next day
Tuesday (market stalls shut) 10.30am to 5pm 5pm until 10.30am Wednesday

On market days, only emergency vehicles and a small number of essential vehicles with special permission, such as waste collection, can go inside the barriers. The council says this is because the city’s Anti-Terrorism Traffic Regulation Order is in force.

Tuesdays are different. The stalls close for a rest day, a trial this year, and the city centre runs on its normal footstreet hours of 10.30am to 5pm. Shops, cafes, attractions and the Shambles Market stay open.

Councillor Kate Ravilious, the council’s Executive Member for Transport, said: “This year, to make sure there is easier access to the city centre for everyone, we are trialling a Christmas Market rest day. This is to support people who live and work in our city.”

Blue Badge holders

The changes for disabled drivers are the part most worth reading twice.

  • Tuesdays only: the Goodramgate, King’s Square and Colliergate loop is open to Blue Badge holders. Church Street stays closed, with temporary barriers at its junction with Low Petergate.
  • Tuesday parking: Blue Badge holders can park on Goodramgate or King’s Square for up to three hours, as long as they are not causing an obstruction.
  • The Blake Street and Lendal route does not run during footstreet hours for the whole market period. It reopens on 22 December.
  • On market days, there is no Blue Badge access inside the barriers between 10.30am and 7.30pm.

The council has added parking just outside the barriers:

  • the loading bay on Duncombe Place, near the Memorial Gardens, is now a Blue Badge-only bay
  • extra Blue Badge bays have been marked on Blake Street, outside the security barriers
  • Blue Badge holders can park free, with no time limit, in the designated spaces at Piccadilly, Tower Street, Castle Car Park, Bootham Row and Coppergate car park

If you live or work inside the barriers

  • No parking or loading is allowed in the city centre streets from 10.30am to 7.30pm on market days. A vehicle left there can get a penalty charge notice and may be towed. The council’s Blue Badge section puts the fine at £70 and says cars can be moved to St George’s Field car park.
  • Private parking spaces count too. A car parked in a private space inside the barriers cannot be driven out between 10.30am and 7.30pm (5pm on a Tuesday). The council is asking residents in the footstreets to consider parking elsewhere for the six weeks.
  • Deliveries can get in before 10.30am, and after 7.30pm (5pm on Tuesdays).
  • Builders and utility firms are asked to do repairs between 7.30pm and 10.30am. Emergency access with a vehicle can be authorised on 01904 555873 or at citycentrewaiver@york.gov.uk.

The council says it is writing to affected residents, businesses and Blue Badge holders. Anyone with parking arrangements inside the barriers is asked to contact highway.regulation@york.gov.uk as soon as possible.

What it means for you

  • Driving in to shop? Use the Park and Ride. Its buses run more often from 8 November.
  • Blue Badge holder? Tuesday is the only day you can drive into the centre during the day, and only via Goodramgate. On other days, the closest bays are on Duncombe Place and Blake Street.
  • Live in the footstreets? Move the car before 10.30am, or you will not be able to until the evening.
  • Visiting on a Tuesday? The stalls are shut, but the rest of the city is open. Our Christmas Market dates page explains why the council chose Tuesday, and our parking in York page has car park prices.

The council’s market page lists the market as open until 7.30pm. Make It York, which runs it, and the council’s own release give 7pm, with the barriers staying shut until 7.30pm.