COUNTY councillors have branded figures released since the opening of a £5.5m junction near Norton “disappointing”.

Councillors at a Ryedale area committee meeting last Wednesday said traffic data collected since the Brambling Fields junction opened in 2012 was disappointing and criticised the county council for not having the necessary data.

The report, by highways and transportation area manager Richard Marr, showed that about 600 vehicles have been using the new slip road on an average weekday.

However, Mr Marr admitted to having missed a trick by “missing the baseline data” because he was unable to provide councillors with comparative figures prior to the opening of the junction.

Speaking at the meeting, Councillor John Clark said: “We will never know exactly what would have happened because we have not got the ‘before’ figures.”

Councillor Lindsay Burr said: “I think it is disappointing that we probably have not got the accurate data. I always think what you can measure you can manage.”

Mr Marr said a further report would be presented to the area committee in 12 months time. He said: “At the moment the data is not conclusive. It’s one reason why we want to collect for another 12 months.”

Mr Marr said North Yorkshire County Council has been working with businesses to raise the profile of the junction on the A64.

“We have done some work with businesses, particularly on the industrial estate. It it hard to get into the mind of the wagon driver who wants to go where he wants to go,” he said.

He said he hoped measures taken, such as working with the Highways Agency to produce signs on the A64 directing traffic for Norton to use the junction would change driver behaviour and encourage them to use the Brambling Fields junction.

The report said the junction improvement has had a “small positive impact in terms of the routing of traffic away from Butcher Corner”.

Suggestions were made of the possibility of banning HGVs from using roads such as Railway Street and Norton Road, except for access, to reduce the number of vehicles passing through Butcher Corner, Malton.