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10
Oct
Major changes proposed for Harrogate’s Oatlands Drive
Double yellow lines and a speed reduction look set to be introduced on Oatlands Drive in Harrogate.
The moves are part of a £230,000 package of measures by North Yorkshire Council to make walking and cycling safer in one of the busiest parts of the town.
The package also includes new crossings on Wetherby Road and Oatlands Drive to help pedestrians and cyclists on Slingsby Walk cross the roads.
The Tory-controlled council is expected to approve the measures tomorrow (October 11).
There have long been calls for traffic calming on Oatlands Drive but previous attempts, including a bid to make the street one-way in 2021, have failed.
St Aidan’s Church of England High School is situated on Oatlands Drive and St John Fisher Catholic High School is on the adjoining Hookstone Drive. Besides being a busy road for schoolchildren, it also connects with the Saints residential area.
Double yellow lines, which currently only exist on one side of the road, would prevent vehicles parking on the verge, which is particularly common when football matches take place on the Stray at weekends.
A report on the council website says:
Oatlands Drive currently has double yellow lines to its western side between Slingsby Walk and York Place. It is proposed to also mirror this on the eastern side to help increase visibility to the crossing and make the advisory cycle lines safer to use, since they can become blocked by parked vehicles at busy times.
The Oatlands Drive crossing will be situated at the Slingsby Walk junction here.
The Wetherby Road crossing will be installed at the Slingsby Walk junction here.
Tomorrow’s meeting seeks approval to advertise modifications to existing traffic regulation orders to deliver the works.
It also seeks approval to build what would be North Yorkshire's first tiger crossing on Oatlands Drive and a toucan crossing on Wetherby Road.
Tiger crossings, also known as parallel crossings, consist of a zebra crossing with segregated zones for cyclists and pedestrians. They are named after similar crossings in Hong Kong that were painted yellow and black.
Stray Defence Association opposition
The report says 120 supported and 43 opposed an Oatlands Drive crossing during a consultation. It adds 120 supported and 47 opposed a crossing on Wetherby Road.
But the Stray Defence Association, which protects the Stray from encroachment, ‘expressed the view that the crossing updates were not needed, along with being opposed to Stray land being enclosed for this purpose’, it adds.
The report said St Aidan’s was ‘broadly supportive’ of the proposals but St John Fisher did not respond to the consultation.
The crossings require Stray land to be enclosed and therefore the council must dedicate land to the Duchy of Lancaster, which owns the freehold of the Stray, in exchange before work can commence.
Grass land on Hookstone Drive has been earmarked for this purpose.
The Oatlands measures are predicted to cost £115,000. The budget for the two crossing points is also estimated to be £115,000.
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