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22
Oct
Trial HGV ban set to be introduced on Knaresborough street
Heavy goods vehicles look set to be subject to a trial ban on a Knaresborough street at times when children are travelling to and from school.
Hambleton Grove is a residential street that attracts numerous lorries because it leads to Hambleton Grove Industrial Estate.
It is also close to Knaresborough St John's C of E Primary School on Stockwell Road, prompting longstanding road safety concerns.
North Yorkshire Council has now proposed introducing an experimental traffic regulation order prohibiting goods vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes from using Hambleton Grove between 7am and 9.30am and 3pm and 4.30pm from Monday to Friday.
A council report, which can be viewed here, says:
There have been multiple complaints over safety concerns on this road and in particular its ability to accommodate large vehicles such as articulated HGVs
Some improvements were made within the industrial estate, one such measure was ensuring there is a suitable on-site layout for turning and manoeuvrability of large vehicles which enables vehicles to access and egress the site in a forward gear. It is understood this has improved some of the issues with large vehicles reversing in the highway at this access where it is not considered safe to do so.
However, concerns over highway safety remain.
If vehicles are parked on both sides of the 7.4 metre-wide road, only one can pass at any one time. The report says this can lead to ‘conflict’, especially if a vehicle has to reverse out of a junction. Residents say collisions have led to property being damaged
The council sent letters to 75 businesses and homes on Hambleton Grove, as well as to a care home on the street, the nearby primary school and the emergency services as part of a consultation in March this year.
Three objections were received, which raised concerns such as HGVs waiting on nearby streets until the restrictions end, more HGVs on Hambleton Grove outside of the restricted times and a negative impact on business.
Making the street one-way, removing residential parking bays and introducing single yellow lines were all considered and rejected. So was a full-time ban on HGVs.
If the council proceeds as recommended in the report, a statutory consultation will begin on October 28 on whether to introduce the experimental traffic order regulation.
Cllr Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough West on North Yorkshire Council said:
The issue was raised with me prior to first getting elected and had been going on for well over a decade. It has caused residents lots of issues, including damage to cars and several near misses. I’m supportive of this solution and hope that it will be the solution residents have been looking for.
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