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22
Oct
Mayor urged to prioritise four bus routes in Ripon and Masham
Mayor David Skaith is being urged to prioritise four bus routes serving Ripon and Masham in his forthcoming Local Transport Plan for York and North Yorkshire.
Uredale Community Partnership wants improved services linking Ripon with Thirsk railway station and York via Boroughbridge, as well as routes connecting Masham with Ripon and Northallerton via Bedale.
Councillor Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, who chairs the partnership’s transport and communications group, said better bus services would be particularly beneficial for 16 to 18-year-olds in education, giving them access to onward connections to colleges in Darlington, York and Harrogate.
Improved services could also support the evening and night-time economy, she added, but stressed that buses needed to be “regular and reliable”, like the 36 service, if people were to have confidence in using them.
Mr Skaith, the Labour mayor of York and North Yorkshire, has said the Local Transport Plan will “guide future transport investment and priorities across the county”.
Consultation on the draft plan, available here, closes on November 4.
Ripon Mobility Hub
The partnership, which brings together public, private and community organisations across Uredale, outlined its priorities following a meeting with members of the mayor’s team.
Alongside improvements to the four routes, it is calling for stronger bus links between Ripon and surrounding villages, better connections between buses and trains, and earlier and later services.
It has also proposed a Ripon Mobility Hub bringing together buses, community transport, taxis, bicycles, mobility scooters and pedestrian access in one location.
Ripon Bus Station
The partnership is working with North Yorkshire Council, the National Trust and Ripon Disability Forum to develop an active travel route between Ripon and Fountains Abbey.
It has also urged the mayor to consider investment in the car park at Ripley, amid concerns that the site could be sold for development as part of the sale of the Ripley estate.
The estate, which includes Ripley Castle, has been on the market since June 2024. Individual parts of the estate, including the car park, have also been marketed separately.
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