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14
Aug
Renewed calls for speed signs on 'deadly' road in Nidd as residents criticise parish council
Residents are continuing to push for further road safety measures on a “deadly” road in Nidd.
The busy B6165 cuts through the heart of the village, which is located between Ripley and Knaresborough.
After years of campaigning, which included a controversial speed-themed scarecrow campaign in 2023, North Yorkshire Council agreed to extend the 40mph limit to the west of the village last month (July).
The latest crash on July 23, 2026.
But some residents say the move doesn’t go far enough — and are questioning why Nidd Parish Council isn’t doing more to support their campaign by pushing for vehicle-activated signs, which tell drivers their speed and whether they need to slow down.
The Stray Ferret visited Nidd this week to speak with Linda Potter, who has lived beside the B6165 in the village for 40 years.
Ms Potter said she had witnessed dozens of accidents and although signs and work to even the camber had helped, the road remained “deadly”.
She said:
We would like the speed limit to be 30mph throughout the village. Other villages seem to be able to get that so why can’t we? If you are a stranger driving through the village and you see a sign saying ‘40’, you think it’s safe to do 40mph but really anything above 20mph is dangerous in places.
The view approaching Nidd from Ripley.
Ms Potter, former chairman of Harrogate and District CPRE, also called for roadside verges to be cut to improve visibility at bends and junctions.
She praised Councillor Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, who represents the village on North Yorkshire Council, for lobbying on speed and called for the parish council to take a more active role.
Another resident, who asked to be anonymous, said a Friends of Nidd residents group was “fed up with some drivers treating the road like a Yorkshire Brands Hatch” and agreed with the call for a 30mph limit.
The length of verges is causing concern.
They said:
"The Friends of Nidd was set up in 2019 after innumerable complaints to the parish council, highways and the police from residents living on the B6165 between Ripley and Knaresborough had been dismissed and ignored for over a decade."
They added safety concerns had increased since a motorcyclist in his 30s died in a collision in 2021:
Every police officer who has come to Nidd, either to attend an accident, or more latterly, to police the speed of vehicles, has volunteered their belief that the road should be 30mph. So, imagine the group’s shock when learning that the VAS sign too had been rejected, this time by Nidd Parish Council itself. The very same parish council who recently wrote that they had ‘worked long and hard for improved safety measures for over more than 25 years’.
The decision was entirely made without the knowledge of, nor consultation with any of the parishioners and those who had worked so hard to raise awareness. The decision was not one of cost as bizarrely the Nidd Parish Council has funds available over three times the recommended statutory amount. Suffice to say the Friends of Nidd are far from happy with their lot.
The Stray Ferret has made multiple attempts to contact the parish council but not had a response.
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