A PETITION has been launched calling for a "common sense" review of a main road junction.

Tony Boorman, whose family run the petrol station, Tyke2000 Ltd, in Norton, has put together the petition to return the junction between Church Street and Welham Road to its previous layout.

He said: “The junction is dangerous and discouraging anyone from trying to get between Malton and Norton. By giving priority to the less numerous vehicles coming to and from Welham Road, the heavier traffic coming from Commercial Street immediately backs up creating a much larger queue then there ever was. It was a bad decision to change it and it needs a common sense approach. North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) needs to admit it is not right and change it back.”

Concerns over the junction were also raised at Norton Town Council.

Cllr Hugh Spencer said: “The county council seems to think most of the vehicles that were coming through town were going to York or Scarborough and this would encourage them to use the bypass. However, the bulk of the traffic is going between Malton and Norton and this is doing nothing to solve the congestion on the bridge."

Cllr David Lloyd-Williams, who has also written to NYCC, said: “As most would agree locally, the authority has made a bad, unconsulted decision and are unwilling to concede that they have made a mistake. The time is fast approaching when action at the highest level should be implemented to reverse this traffic nightmare and design.”

A spokesman for NYCC said: “Petitions supported by a significant number of people from a district are scheduled for debate at the next area of the county council area committee. The alterations of the layout to the Malton/Norton junction were designed to reduce the amount of traffic travelling over the level crossing.

“A formal traffic survey is planned, but and there are early indications that more traffic may now be using the Brambling Fields junction for the A64.There are also indications that the number and severity of accidents at this previous high risk accident site are reducing."