North Yorkshire Council has scrapped plans to create cycle lanes on Harrogate’s Victoria Avenue.
The council today announced it was holding a month-long consultation on proposals to change the wide avenue where the library is located.
The proposals include making the junction with Belford Road left-turn only and measures to prevent drivers illegally travelling straight ahead from Beech Grove to Victoria Avenue.
The consultation will focus purely on pedestrians and motorists — even though the council had identified Victoria Avenue as a “priority route” for cycling and announced last year it intended to create segregated cycle lanes 1.5 metres wide and buffer zones on both sides of the avenue.
A letter to residents announcing the consultation said:
“Unfortunately budgetary constraints mean that the previously envisaged cycle lanes cannot be included within this initial phase of this Victoria Avenue scheme.
“Following advice from Active Travel England, we have therefore concentrated on improvements for pedestrians and improvements to the public realm.”
The new proposals include:
- Signalisation of the pedestrian crossing at the junction Victoria Avenue and Station Parade to add a pedestrian phase, upgrade of the existing uncontrolled crossing at the junction of Victoria Avenue and West Park to a signalised pedestrian crossing
- Addition of tactile paving across all side roads
- A new bus stop outside the United Reformed Church and associated paving upgrades
- Relocation of the existing staggered zebra crossing and introduction of an in-line zebra crossing
- Removing some parking bays to facilitate access to the new bus stop
- Making the junction with Belford Road “Left Turn Only”
- Improvements to existing paving and benches
- Improved decorative street and footway lighting
- New ticket machines for kerb side parking bays
- Layout changes to prevent vehicles from making illegal straight ahead movement from Beech Grove to Victoria Avenue.
It is hoped the work will take place in autumn this year.
Victoria Avenue
Victoria Avenue was regarded as a key part of plans to create a joined-up, off-road cycling route from the train and bus stations to Cardale Park.
But with the second phase of the Otley Road cycleway abandoned, along with traffic calming measures on Beech Grove, today’s news is another blow to those campaigning for a greener town centre better suited to cycling.
Active Travel England, the government body that promotes walking and cycling, awarded the council funding to deliver a scheme on Victoria Avenue in November 2020.
Today’s announcement said “design development work has been ongoing” since then.
The letter to residents said:
“The works proposed support North Yorkshire Council’s desire and vision to increase active travel in and around Harrogate town centre by proposing a number of measures to increase pedestrian safety as well as improved bus provision.
“Whilst unfortunately is it not possible to include the desired cycle lanes within this proposed scheme, the proposed works will not prevent the installation of the cycle lanes in the future, and this will be the ambition within a future funding bid. North Yorkshire Council is committed to delivering a cycle scheme on Victoria Avenue.
Consultation on the proposals ends on May 12. As part of this, an engagement session will take place from 5pm to 7pm on Tuesday, May 7 at the council office. The address is Stray Room, St Luke’s Mount, Harrogate HG1 2AE.
To comment, you can email [email protected] using ‘Victoria Avenue ATF 2 Consultation’ in the title of your email or letter.
Or post comments to: NYC Highways, Area 6 Boroughbridge Office, Stump Cross, Boroughbridge YO51 9HU
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