HIGHWAYS bosses look set to introduce double yellow lines on a Ryedale road, despite serious objections from some local residents.

North Yorkshire County Council officers have recommended that councillors approve new waiting restrictions along Castle Howard Road, out of Malton, which will prevent vehicles parking along the stretch.

But residents say they fear traffic will speed past their homes and put the lives of pedestrians at risk.

Home owner Eddie Ruddock, who lives off Castle Howard Road, said: "I strongly feel that double yellow lines are not the answer.

"Not only that, they are going to cause more problems, because people are going to travel fast.

"The lorries and other vehicles come from out of town down that road, and it's only the parked cars that make them slow down."

Mr Ruddock said he believed a compromise could be found, rather than painting a large stretch of the road.

"The council could do quite simple intermittent yellow lines with parking bays for residents.

"That would act as a traffic calming measure, and could stop the congestion at the bottom where Castle Howard Road joins York Road."

Resident Audrey Quinn, who has four children, said she would be afraid to let them cross the road.

"I just think it is a really dreadful idea and I have put it all in writing to the county council. Local traffic especially slows down because they know there might be traffic parked at the bottom.

"All of us on this side of the road have put in objections, but it does not seem to make any difference.

"There are drives at regular intervals so you can pull in there - they are natural stopping places."

But Tony Wright, from the Highways Agency, said: "The thinking behind the decision was that parking vehicles up one side causes obstruction."

Cyril Shreeve, from Malton, Norton and District Road Safety Committee, said he believed introducing waiting restrictions was a practical solution.

"If you are driving from the direction of Castle Howard, you would be reducing your speed to join with York Road, and if you were turning on to the road from the Malton end you would not be in a position to get speed up as you went up the hill."

Councillors have been recommended to approve the introduction of waiting restrictions without any amendments at the county council's area committee meeting at Nawton village hall on Wednesday at 10.30am.

Updated: 08:20 Monday, October 07, 2002