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26
Mar
'Collision cluster’ junction in Harrogate could undergo major upgrade
A Harrogate junction dubbed a "collision cluster site" could be set for major upgrades.
A report due before North Yorkshire Council's environment executive says the authority has been allocated £396,709 to deliver active travel schemes in the county.
It is part of Active Travel England’s 2024/25 budget, in which a total of £54.2 milion has been delegated to local authorities as part of its fifth funding tranche.
The council has identified several "low complexity schemes", including some in Harrogate, and hopes to deliver them using Active Travel England's latest funding.
One of the projects proposed is improvements to the junction at the A661 Wetherby Road and Railway Road, which leads to Sainsbury's and the Great Yorkshire Showground.
The report says it is the largest signalised junction in the county without a pedestrian phase and has been a “collision cluster site in the past”.
The council intends to upgrade existing traffic signals to incorporate controlled pedestrian crossing facilities, which it believes would improve safety for pedestrians and encourage active travel.
The report adds:
The upgrade of the signals will also include enhanced detection utilising the latest technology and adding MOVA control to the current operation which will improve the efficiency of the current junction for all road users.
The new LED signals will replace the current halogen lamp signals which will also contribute to the authority's carbon reduction targets.
The council estimates the upgrades would cost in the region of £300,000 to £400,000.
It is asking Active Travel England for £180,919 of the allocated funds to carry out the scheme. The rest would be covered by the council's traffic signals maintenance budget for the 2025/26 financial year.
Bilton Lane crossing
The council also hopes to install a parallel crossing – also known as a tiger crossing – on Bilton Lane.
It iwants to spend £110,700 of the Active Travel England funds to deliver the project, which it says would “give priority to those walking, wheeling and cycling” and create a safer environment for people crossing from Nidderdale Greenway, over Bilton Lane and towards Starbeck or Harrogate.
Details of two more council schemes – labelled “school streets” and “school streets monitoring” – are included below.
Two of the council's proposed submissions.
Although the funding has been allocated, the report says all schemes will be checked for eligibility and will then be assured against a set of agreed criteria, which includes:
- Compliance with key Active Travel England tranche 5 funding principles and eligibility requirements.
- Alignment with relevant guidance on design quality and safety as defined by the Active Travel England design assurance tools.
- Value for money.
- Deliverability of schemes within funding window.
According to the report, funding is expected to be committed by March 2026 and construction would be completed by March 31, 2027.
Should costs overrun, the council would look to use the Consolidated Active Travel Fund allocation of £1.25 million to support the delivery of the schemes.
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