Harrogate park and ride could be built in Pannal
by
Jan 27, 2021
Don Mackenzie
County Councillor Don Mackenzie

Two locations in Pannal have been identified as sites for a new Harrogate park and ride bus service.

A park and ride is among measures proposed by North Yorkshire County Council to reduce traffic and ease congestion around Harrogate.

Other schemes include a Killinghall bypass, new cycle paths and traffic calming in Bilton.

Land near Pannal Golf Club and land near Buttersyke Bar roundabout south of Pannal have been chosen as park and ride sites.

County councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said a key factor was the sites’ location on the 36 bus route that runs regularly between Leeds, Harrogate and Ripon. He said:

“One of the great costs of a park and ride is the shuttle bus, which would have to be contracted out.

“If you can tie it in with a scheduled service it would mean you could avoid this cost.”

Pannal is about three miles from Harrogate. Cllr Mackenzie said a more central location might not work as well because if motorists had to battle through town centre traffic to get to the park and ride they might not think the service was worth bothering with and park in town instead.


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Cllr Mackenzie said the park and ride idea “could happen fairly quickly” depending on developments.

It is one of the main projects in the council’s Harrogate transport improvement programme.

Perhaps the programme’s most ambitious and controversial proposal is for a Killinghall bypass.

Cllr Mackenzie said the likely route would be from the Old Spring Well pub on the A59 and then south and east of Killinghall to join the A61 at the roundabout in Ripley that goes to Pateley Bridge and Ripon.

It would not touch the western side, where the Nidderdale Greenway is located, he added.