A SAFETY scheme for pedestrians on a city's narrow road starts this month.

Work on providing traffic-calming and easier pedestrian access at High Saint Agnesgate, near Ripon Cathedral, means the road will be closed for a fortnight from February 23.

The road is so narrow it is not wide enough for a footpath.

But following a site visit involving Ripon City Council and North Yorkshire highway officials, a £10,000 safety scheme has been approved.

Ripon Mayor Councillor David Parnaby backed the project.

He said: "When we met to point out the hazards for pedestrians, several vehicles came whizzing round the corner to underline the point we were making.

"In fact, we could not have arranged it better to illustrate the point."

At the Boroughbridge Road entrance to High Saint Agnesgate measures will be put in place to curb speeding.

There will also be footpath improvements and a pedestrian crossing near the newly established Thorpe Prebend House Museum -Ripon Cathedral's interpretation centre.

Councillor John Fort, the cabinet member for environmental services on North Yorkshire County Council, said the work would improve safety for pedestrians, who complained they felt under pressure from vehicles.

Coun Fort said: "We do not like a full shutdown when working on roads. But this one is so narrow it would be impossible to carry out the project by operating a system where only half the road was closed off."