30
Jun
Council considering double yellow lines on Oatlands Drive in Harrogate
North Yorkshire Council has said it is considering painting double yellow lines on Oatlands Drive in Harrogate.
The issue of vehicles parking in the Oatlands Drive cycle lane, especially at weekends when people play football on the Stray, has been rumbling on for years.
The Stray Ferret contacted North Yorkshire Council about the situation after nearby resident Richard Hughes said the problem had escalated recently because nothing has been done to address it.
Mr Hughes said he and others were also concerned about the frequency of people parking overnight on Stray Rein and engaging in antisocial behaviour, such as using the railway line as a toilet. He also sent a photo of vehicles parking on the actual Stray alongside Stray Rein.
He said these issues had also got out of hand and needed tackling.
Cars parked on the Stray alongside Stray Rein.
Melisa Burnham, the council’s highways area manager, said:
We are aware of concerns around parked vehicles, particularly within cycle lanes, most recently as part of the Oatlands feasibility study and consultation.
We will be reviewing the area again to consider installing double yellow lines, which will allow us to take further enforcement action against those who choose to park there. If we then decide to proceed, a statutory consultation will need to be carried out.
The council added the issue of anti-social behaviour on Stray Rein was a police matter.
Judy D’Arcy-Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association, which protects the Stray, said it had tried to persuade the council to paint double yellow lines on Oatlands Drive for years. She added:
This would be a simple measure to ensure that the Stray was not damaged, nor the area obstructed by inconsiderate parking.
As for Stray Rein, she said:
Where parking is legal, such as Stray Rein, there is no problem. However, the law is very clear that parking on the Stray itself is not permitted and this really should be enforced.
One of the No Parking signs erected in 2021.
Ms D’Arcy-Thompson acknowledged the size of the Stray made it difficult to police and there would always be “thoughtless, anti-social and unpleasant behaviour”.
In 2021, the Stray Ferret investigated the disappearance of ‘no parking’ signs that were put up along Oatlands Drive by the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council.
Andrew Timothy, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone, said he would be “happy to arrange a consultation” on any parking restriction measures on Stray Rein and Oatlands Drive to try to address residents’ concerns.
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