York Outer Ring Road and Fulford Road at standstill

The congestion stretched along the Outer Ring Road to the Askham Bar interchange with Tadcaster Road and halfway to the Grimstone Bar A166 and A1079 interchange.

Traffic was at a standstill on Fulford Road almost to the city centre with one driver reporting it took him 47 minutes to travel 1.4 miles.

On the A19 traffic heading into York was at a standstill from just north of Crockey Hill.

The interchange is used by people going to York Designer Outlet and the associated Park and Ride, as well as people travelling into the city centre and out to Selby.

Fulford Road is a the main road for traffic going to and from the new Germany Beck housing estate.

Today, York Designer Outlet was crammed with shoppers seeking Black Friday bargains and using the Winter Wonderland Ice Rink.   

Earlier this year, the shopping centre’s management tried to get planning permission for an extra car park to ease Christmas traffic problems.

Designer Outlet Centre Manager Paul Tyler told councillors congestion in the run up to Christmas was unmanageable, leading to queues of up to 200 cars delaying those trying to leave.

But City of York Council refused the application on the grounds that it would impact on York’s Green Belt and councillors feared it would add to congestion.