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06
May 2023
Publican says cycle path crackdown in Harrogate is 'unreasonable'
A Harrogate publican told to remove the chairs and tables outside his pub to make way for a cycle path says he feels he is “being punished” by the council’s “unreasonable” demands.
Charlie Tinker, who owns Charlie’s Place on Otley Road, was sent a letter in March from North Yorkshire County Council saying that the pavement in front of his pub “is now a shared footway/cycleway and as such the full width of the footway is required”. It goes on to demand that he “remove all furniture, heaters and A-boards" from the space outside the pub’s front door.
Mr Tinker, who has owned Charlie's Place for 19 years, has complied with the letter but said:
Mr Tinker said he accepted there needs to be a cycle path, but does not believe it should require the whole pavement. He said:
According to the Department of Transport’s guidance published in 2020, the desirable width of a one-way cycle route with a peak flow of fewer than 200 cyclists per hour, as is the case on Otley Road, is 1.5 metres (4ft 11in) – considerably less than half the width of the pavement outside Charlie's Place.
North Yorkshire Council, which took over the responsibilities of North Yorkshire County Council on April 1, told the Stray Ferret there was no formal street café licence or pavement licence in place, and said there was not enough width to accommodate pedestrians, tables and chairs, adding "this was the case before the Otley Road cycleway was introduced".
Melisa Burnham, North Yorkshire Council’s highways area manager, said:
However, Mr Tinker insisted a small amount of space could, and should, be reserved in front of his premises for customers – just as it has been, albeit unofficially, for the the last two decades. He said without it, there was a serious danger that one of his customers could be injured by a speeding cyclist. He said:
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