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19
Mar 2021
Highway boss’s ‘major concern’ over one-lane traffic option for Station Parade
The highways boss at North Yorkshire County Council has expressed “major concerns” that reducing traffic to one lane outside Harrogate train station could cause long queues on the surrounding streets.
The road changes have been proposed for Station Parade as part of the £7.9m Harrogate Gateway project. It could also include a ban on cars on James Street with the aim of creating a more pedestrian and cycle friendly entrance to the town.
The project has received a mixed reaction -a petition against it has raised concerns that reducing road space for cars could be bad for business and lengthen queues – and councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member of access, says himself and other highway officials have their own worries.
Speaking at a meeting of the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee yesterday, he said:
A public consultation on the proposals is underway and the council has stressed that no decision on the road changes has yet been taken.
There are two options on the table for Station Parade – leave it as two lanes of traffic or reduce it to one. Meanwhile, the partial or full pedestrianisation of James Street is also being considered, as well as an option to leave it untouched.
Other measures include two new bus priority areas at Lower Station Parade and Cheltenham Parade, junction upgrades, new cycle lanes and storage, as well as an increase in safe space for people on foot, new flexible public events spaces and water features.
Read more:
- Local residents welcome decision to scrap plans for one-way system at Oatlands Drive.
- Harrogate Borough Council leader says highway bosses should not "shy away" from sustainable travel.
The aim is to make the town more accessible by bike or on foot and while liberal democrat councillor Philip Broadbank, who represents the Starbeck division, said “this is the right way forward,” he also has concerns over the impact on traffic flow.
He told yesterday’s meeting:
Meanwhile, conservative councillor Paul Haslam, who represents the Bilton and Nidd Gorge division, said he believes the longer queue times for motorists would be “minimal” and argued they would be outweighed by the benefits to pedestrians and cyclists.
Councillor Mackenzie added:
The consultation will run until 24 March and the aim is to finalise designs for construction to begin by summer 2022 with completion in 2023.
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