Skip to content

Tip queuing system 'an accident waiting to happen'

Jack Hadaway-WellerStrensall
Janie Popple A line of traffic on a narrow, two‑lane road bordered by dense greenery. The road appears to be in a rural or semi‑rural area, with trees and bushes lining both sides and no visible buildings nearby On the left, there is a silver hatchback viewed from behind. The car has a yellow rear license plate. The brake lights are not illuminated. On the right, there is a dark‑coloured (possibly black) sedan, also viewed from behind. The red rear lights on this vehicle are illuminated, indicating braking or slow movement. Both vehicles are positioned close together, suggesting slow or stopped traffic. Ahead of the foreground cars, there is a small flatbed or light lorry in the same lane as the silver hatchback. The lorry has an open rear bed with metal sides, and objects are visible in the back, though they are not clearly identifiable. Several other vehicles are visible further ahead, forming a queue that extends along the road.Janie Popple
Motorists on Towthorpe Moor Lane are driving into oncoming traffic to avoid queues

Traffic queues outside a waste recycling centre are making the road more dangerous, people living nearby have said.

Residents in Strensall say some motorists have resorted to driving into oncoming traffic to overtake cars queuing for the site on Towthorpe Moor Lane.

Julie Chapman, who runs York Golf Range on the road, said she feared there could be a "serious accident", adding that she believed "it's just a matter of when".

City of York Council, which manages the site, said it had seen a "small increase in visits" compared to March 2025 but said the average number of visits per day had "not risen significantly".

Some residents have highlighted changes at a different council run waste site, in Hazel Court, as a reason for the increased traffic near Towthorpe.

In March, City of York Council introduced a booking system at their Hazel Court site requiring both traders and York residents to book an appointment to drop off their waste.

Speaking in April, Yorwaste, which runs Hazel Court and Towthorpe on behalf of the council, said the changes had not resulted in any unusual increases in traffic at Hazel Court, as some had feared, nor had the city's other tip at Towthorpe been any busier than usual.

However, tip users and people living locally disagree.

"At Hazel Court now you have to book ahead to decide if you want to to use the waste site, but here they don't," Debbie Duffield, who lives in Strensall, said.

"You've got all these people who are like 'I can't be bothered to book an appointment there I'm just gonna jump in here' which is leading to the queues."

Peter Bell, who said he uses both sites, said: "The council have made a massive mistake. They've tried to reduce what I believe is a traffic problem at Hazel Court on a 30mph road and moved all that danger onto a 60mph road because people haven't got time to book [as] the system's too fiddly to use.

"They've just moved the problem somewhere else but increased the risk."

A woman is standing facing the camera with both arms folded across the front of the body. She is wearing a dark, long-sleeved sweater layered over a light-coloured collared shirt. The person is also wearing rectangular eyeglasses. On the left side of the image, there is a tall red refrigerator branded with Coca‑Cola. Behind the person and the refrigerator, wall-mounted slat panels hold various items including several golf clubs.
Julie Chapman runs York Golf Range in Towthorpe Moor Lane

Towthorpe Moor Lane is a 60mph (96km/h) road which connects the A64 with Strensall Road and is home to a number of businesses, including Piglets Adventure Farm.

"Between Piglets and the tip there is quite a bad bend and in the last year we've had three cars end up in the ditch on that bend for whatever reason, but usually it's because somebody's travelling too quickly" Sarah Sykes, director and co-owner of Piglets said.

"What we've found is the commuters are overtaking the queues, because they know that people are queuing for the tip."

An outdoor entrance area to a rural attraction. Trees without dense foliage are visible in the background. In the foreground, a woman is standing facing the camera. She is wearing a white long-sleeved sweater and a necklace. A large, brown sign shaped like an irregular splatter reads in bold white capital letters: “PIGLETS ADVENTURE FARM”. The sign is mounted on two vertical white posts fixed into the ground. A smaller sign stands on the gravel path. It has a pink background and includes white text and an arrow. The visible text reads: “Entry through the shop” An arrow points inward toward the buildings. Behind the person, there is a small red building with white trim and a brown tiled roof. The building has at least two small windows and resembles a ticket booth or reception hut. Above the building entrance, large white capital letters spell: “WELCOME”.
Sarah Sykes runs Piglets Adventure Farm in Towthorpe Moor Lane

Luke Charters, MP for York Outer, said he had contacted the council about the issue, saying he had had "quite a bit of feedback about large queues forming outside York tips since the new booking system came in".

In response, City of York Council said it would be introducing additional signage on Towthorpe Moor Lane.

"Queuing at Towthorpe at this time of year is not unusual and typically increases during periods of good weather and around school holidays such as Easter," said head of environmental services Ian Hoult.

"The booking system at Hazel Court is a one‑year trial designed to improve traffic flow and safety on James Street, and we are continuing to seek feedback from residents and businesses."

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

More on this story
Related internet links