THE North York Moors market town of Helmsley is to get a traffic management strategy to cope with its increasing volume of tourist traffic.

Highway engineers, local authority leaders and Helmsley businesses have drawn up a 13-point list of issues which they say need tackling to ease the traffic congestion in the popular holiday spot.

They include more parking for motorcycles, better pedestrian crossing facilities, tackling the conflict between pedestrians and delivery vehicles, inadequate bus services, and speed of traffic.

Mike Moore, the county council's environmental services director, said a workshop had been held to explore the problems, which were compounded by narrow footpaths and the parking and unloading of vehicles in Bridge Street.

Better signing was needed, he added.

Mr Moore said that £100,000 had been earmarked in the county authority's transport plan to carry out schemes for better traffic management in seven North Yorkshire towns, inluding Helmsley.

Another workshop is planned for later this month, after which a series of options will be produced, to go before councillors in October.