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02
Sept
'Aspirations' for cycle lanes remain on Harrogate's Victoria Avenue
North Yorkshire Council is still “progressing” with designs for cycle lanes on Harrogate’s Victoria Avenue.
The avenue was regarded as a key part of a segregated cycle route from the train and bus stations to Cardale Park.
The council devised a £1.57 million project for a cycleway on Victoria Avenue.
But it failed to secure funding from Active Travel England so instead it came up with the scheme worth about £1 million that was carried out over summer. It included measures such as new paving but no cycle route.
Karl Battersby, corporate director for environment at North Yorkshire Council.
However, Karl Battersby, corporate director for environment at the council, said in a statement to the Stray Ferret that the authority still had “aspirations to deliver cycle lanes in this area”.
He said:
The Victoria Avenue scheme aims to increase safety for pedestrians and has been welcomed by both the local community and Active Travel England.
Although it had been hoped to include a cycle lane, this was not deliverable within the budget allocated.
Aspirations to deliver cycle lanes in this area have been supported by a feasibility study carried out to review a central two-way facility along Victoria Avenue. A number of options were considered, but all highlighted safety concerns for both pedestrians and cyclists.
For this reason, we will be progressing with designs for cycle lanes either side of the carriageway, to ensure they are ready should funding opportunities arise.
Separately, the replacement of broken flag stones was important from both a safety and visual perspective, encouraging greater use of the public spaces.
We strongly believe the scheme provides value for money and will bring benefits to the local area and the people who pass through.
‘Spectacularly bad value’
Mr Battersby was responding to claims by a Harrogate cycling group that the £1 million upgrade on Victoria Avenue was “spectacularly bad value”.
Hedgehog Cycling, which promotes cycling in Yorkshire, and the campaign group Harrogate District Cycle Action both issued damning verdicts, claiming the schemes had used money earmarked for active travel on “routine maintenance”.
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