A61 Archives - Page 6 of 7 - The Stray Ferret

Driver fined for seriously injuring pedestrian in Killinghall

A woman has been fined for a collision in Killinghall which left a father of young children with serious injuries.

Susan Marshall hit the man with her car as he used the pedestrian crossing near the Tesco Express shop in the village at around 5.15pm on Monday, January 30 this year.

She pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court today.

The man, who was named in court, had to be taken to hospital by ambulance. His ankle was broken in several places and he had significant bruising to his hip, as well as a haematoma on his brain.

He had to have an operation to insert two plates into his ankle and was kept in hospital for four days for observation.

The cast on his ankle had only recently been removed and he was still having physiotherapy, the court heard.

Prosecutor Alison Whiteley said:

“He was previously very active and athletic. Now, of course, he has difficulty walking, let alone running, and it impacts on his driving ability.

“He needs to drive as part of his job. In addition to that, he lives alone with young children and of course he needs his car to ferry them about and look after them.”

The court heard the collision took place in the dark in heavy traffic, when weather conditions were good. Ms Marshall, 56, pulled out of the Tesco car park to turn right and travel north on the A61 towards Ripley.

A passenger in the car behind said the lights on the pedestrian crossing ahead of her turned red, but Mrs Marshall failed to slow down. She collided with the pedestrian, who was knocked to the ground.

Defending, Andrew Coleman of Watson Woodhouse solicitors said Ms Marshall’s record to that point was otherwise unblemished, without even any points on her driving licence.

Describing the collision as a “momentary lapse in concentration”, he said:

“She was concentrating on the traffic and she didn’t see the red light.

“She stopped immediately and went straight to the victim to see if he was OK. She didn’t realise the extent of his injuries.

“She shouted immediately for someone to assist in calling an ambulance. She stayed until the emergency services came.”

He told the court she had worked as a carer for 30 years and, faced with losing her licence, was determined to continue in her job, despite a two-mile walk from her home in Town Street, Shaw Mills, to the nearest bus route.

Magistrates imposed a £500 fine, £200 victim surcharge and £85 costs on Ms Marshall, along with a 12-month driving ban.

They said compensation for the victim was not for the court to decide and would be arranged through their insurance companies.

Three months of roadworks on A61 from Harrogate to Ripon set to begin

Roadworks are set to bring three months of disruption to motorists travelling between Ripon and Harrogate.

The A61 will be dug up as part of fibre optics company City Fibre‘s £46 million digital infrastructure upgrade in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.

Work has been completed in most areas. However, signs have gone up on the A61 Ripon Road warning that nighttime work will take place between April 17 and July 13.

Kim Johnston, regional partnership director at City Fibre said:

“From April 17, we will be starting work on the A61 between Harrogate and Ripon.

“This work will last for approximately three months and will require traffic management on one side of the road.

“Works will take place 7pm to 6.30am, Monday to Friday, with the road returned to two-way traffic every morning.”

Traffic lights will be in place during these hours, and no detours are planned.

A City Fibre spokesperson added “there may be a small amount of weekend work, subject to confirmation with highways”, adding:

“If this is the case, City Fibre will actively avoid any weekend with a major local event like Harrogate Flower Show.”

The entire length of the A61 between Ripon and Harrogate will be affected.

Ms Johnston said:

“CityFibre is investing £46m in transforming Harrogate and Ripon’s digital infrastructure and bringing next generation full fibre connectivity to almost every home and business in the area.

“This is a major undertaking, which is why we work closely with our build partner, local authorities and the council’s highways team to manage disruption as best we can and ensure works are delivered quickly, and always to our high standards.”

Harewood Bridge set to close for repairs from July

Drivers on a main route in and out of Harrogate will face disruption this summer when Harewood Bridge closes in July.

Leeds City Council is planning to carry out resurfacing and maintenance work to the grade-II listed structure.

The bridge carries the A61 Harrogate Road over the River Wharfe and is a busy route between Harrogate and Leeds.

The move is expected to see the structure closed during the school holidays. However, a specific date and timeframe has yet to be confirmed.

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said:

“The latest position is that we intend to carry out these important repairs during the school holiday period starting at the end of July, to minimise any disruption.

“We are currently reviewing all options and will be consulting widely including with North Yorkshire County Council, parish councils and other key stakeholders on our proposals and the diversionary routes required.

“Once a timetable is confirmed we will be updating the local communities with as much notice as possible so residents and businesses can plan ahead.”

Accident reignites calls for traffic lights at ‘horrendous’ Killinghall junction

A collision involving a pedestrian this week has reignited debate about what can be done to improve safety at a bottleneck junction in Killinghall.

The Ripon Road and Otley Road junction has been added to the agenda of Monday’s Killinghall Parish Council meeting in the wake of the accident.

It may be a new agenda item but it is an old topic, as parish council chairman Anne Holdsworth is only too aware. She says:

“I’ve lived in the village since 1961 and that junction has always been a problem.

“People in the village have been anticipating a collision like this. It’s horrendous but the question is, what do you do?

“I’m not sure what the solution is. All we can do is draw attention to it to the experts.”

The junction is frequently snarled up at rush hour so there are concerns about traffic flow as well as safety.

Vehicles turning right from Otley Road or turning right on to Otley Road often face particularly long delays, and the addition of the Tesco Express — although widely welcomed in the rapidly-expanding village — has added another dimension to drivers’ thoughts at the junction.

Turning right on to Otley Road

North Yorkshire County Council, the highways authority, considered installing traffic lights pre-covid but nothing happened.

Cllr Michael Harrison, a Conservative who represents Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate on the county council, said the traffic lights plans were “paused” due to work on the Tesco Express, which opened last year. Cllr Harrison added:

“I have asked the council highways team for an update on this.

“I have previously voiced concerns about potential congestion that signalising that junction might cause, although obviously that has to be balanced against safety concerns which are more apparent since the pub was converted to a Tesco.”

Tackling speed ‘the priority’

Villagers agree it’s time for action — but what is the solution?

Harvey Radcliffe said the junction was “poorly designed and an accident waiting to happen”, adding:

“It’s only a matter of time before someone gets killed. I’ve lived in the village for 12 years and I’ve never seen driving like it recently. I’m genuinely concerned for the kids and older residents of the village.”

Mr Radcliffe said speed prevention measures were the first priority. He said adding traffic lights and moving the bus stop that is close to the Tesco entrance, would help. He added:

“Everyone’s in a rush but when you drive in a populated area, if there is one straight road the quality of driving becomes worse as people just see it as a race track, especially at night. I’ve seen taxis doing 60 or 70mph down Ripon Road.”

The Tesco Express has created another factor for drivers to think about.

A mini roundabout, similar to the ones that have improved traffic flow at Bond End, has been suggested but Killinghall resident Tom Beardsell, who recently posted a video on social media highlighting the problems facing motorists at the junction, isn’t keen. He said:

“There would be more accidents with a mini roundabout as most people don’t know how to use them.”

Mr Beardsell said locals were “absolutely fuming” following this week’s collision and suggested introducing smart lights that allowed traffic to flow on the A61 most of the time but changed when someone pulls up at Otley Road. He said:

“It will disrupt traffic flow but it will be safer.”

Former parish councillor Mike Wilkinson also thinks it’s time for traffic lights.

“As a resident and parent living in Killinghall, l am daily concerned that a fatality at the junction of Ripon/Otley Road will occur due to the unsafe driving witnessed on a daily basis.

“Incidents have been reported to the police and also Harrogate Borough Council but no safety measures have been put in place to give reassurance to the Killinghall residents. I would like a meeting to be set up with relevant agencies and the public to share the recent issues

“Traffic lights would be the best option, and this would stop traffic rushing through the junction especially trying to turn right from Otley Road onto Ripon Road.”

Whatever the parish council calls for this week, the final decision will rest with North Yorkshire County Council, and North Yorkshire Council — which will succeed it on April 1.

More misery for motorists on Ripon Road in Killinghall today

Motorists are set for another day of delays on the A61 Ripon Road in Killinghall today, with long queues already forming.

Traffic in both directions was horrendous yesterday due to traffic lights caused by workers digging up the grass verge near Ripley.

After some respite later in the day, another set of roadworks appeared in the middle of Killinghall at 8.30pm as workers began digging up the road despite the late hour.

Late night roadworks in the middle of the village.

Four-way lights were installed at the junction of Ripon Road and Otley Road.

This morning, queues are again in place, with Yorkshire Water due to carry out work on Ripon Road all week traffic lights back.

Morning ‘traffic chaos’ on A61 between Ripon and Harrogate

Motorists have endured a morning of misery between Ripon and Harrogate this morning due to lengthy delays on the A61.

Roadworks at Bishop Monkton combined with a broken down bus in Killinghall caused a double delay for people using the main route.

Linda Birnie called the Stray Ferret to say it took her an hour and 10 minutes to get from her home in Ripon to Ripley. She said:

“The traffic this morning was absolutely appalling. I would have gone through Knaresborough if I’d known.”

Ms Birnie set off at 8am and shortly afterwards hit a two-mile queue caused by lights near the garden centre at Bishop Monkton.

According to North Yorkshire County Council’s live roadworks map, there are two-way signals there until Friday due to work being carried out by Yorkshire Water.

It always says there are separate roadworks at Wormald Green until Wednesday this week.

Ms Birnie said after getting through that queue, there was a brief period of respite before she encountered another large tailback before the Ripley roundabout due to a broken down bus in Killinghall.

She had travelled to Harrogate because she is a member of the Harrogate Borough Council-owned leisure company Brimhams Active and her yoga class had been moved because of ongoing work caused by ground stability issues at Ripon’s new leisure centre.

Other motorists got in touch to inform us of lengthy delays on the same route this morning.

Council could create new Pannal business park

Plans to create a new business and industrial site on the southern approach to Harrogate could be progressed next week.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s cabinet will decide on Wednesday whether to begin speaking to developers to gauge interest in the site.

Allocated for employment use in the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place, the site lies along the eastern side of the A61 near Pannal. It is between the railway line and Crimple Beck, north of the Mercedes garage and the M&S Food shop at the petrol station.

A strategic sites masterplanning document prepared by consultants BDP and Colliers will be reviewed by the cabinet as part of the decision next week. It says:

“Crimple Valley Viaduct, to the north-east of the site, is a Grade II* listed building.

“Development of the site should minimise harm to the setting of this designated heritage asset and seek to enhance its significance; this should include retaining key views of the viaduct from within the site and from beyond the site through the site.”

An officer’s report summarising the document said the focus of any development should be on “high quality place-making and low carbon development”, referring to the council’s “aspirations for high-tech/high skilled job creation”.

Access to the site would be via public transport or the A61

The consultants’ report suggests the site could be accessed via traffic lights or a roundabout, with pedestrian and cycle access further south to link with bus stops on Leeds Road and the railway station in Pannal.

It says the site could be used for high-tech manufacturing, research and development, or business headquarters. Buildings would be up to three storeys and 5,000m sq in size.

The total office space allocated for the site is 10,000m sq alongside 31,500m sq of industrial space. The report says:

“In order to support the local economy there is a need to provide a range of office, manufacturing and warehousing accommodation from shared spaces to single occupiers.

“There is also the opportunity to include a hub building at the heart of the development that can offer a mix of business space and shared facilities for the business community.

“The site should feel like an extension of the existing community, rather than a gated ‘estate’. Access to the existing right of way along the eastern boundary of the site is to be retained and enhanced with new pedestrian connections through the site and safe crossing points on Leeds Road.”

With the site designed to encourage sustainable travel, one parking space has been allocated for each 40m sq of office space or 50m sq of industrial space.

As well as tree planting through the site, the document suggests a wildflower meadow and attenuation pond could be created to the north of the site, adjacent to Crimple Beck.

The suggested layout, with industrial space in orange and office in brown

The officers’ report acknowledges that any development of the site is likely to take place after Harrogate Borough Council is abolished next spring, when the new North Yorkshire Council comes into effect. It adds:

“Taking into consideration current market conditions/costs and uncertainties around the new strategic objectives of North Yorkshire Council from April 1, 2023, it is currently not clear how much direct involvement the council should or could have in the development of the site.

“Officers therefore recommend the next steps to be engagement in expressions of interest with developers to test market appetite, focussing on high quality place-making and low carbon development.

“This can then inform a future decision about the appropriate level of local authority involvement and timescales for delivery of the site.”

Don’t forget Wetherby Road and Skipton Road in congestion plans, say Harrogate councillors

Transport officials have been urged not to leave Harrogate’s Wetherby Road and Skipton Road out of long-awaited plans to tackle the town’s “chronic” congestion problems.

North Yorkshire County Council recently revealed it is exploring new proposals to ease traffic and improve safety on the A61/Leeds Road as part of its Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme.

This comes after calls to revert the Parliament Street section of the road to two-way traffic were last year rejected by the authority which said the costs would exceed £30 million.

The latest plans could now include bus lanes, junction upgrades and cycling and walking improvements.

Also proposed is a Harrogate park and ride service, as well as a bypass around Killinghall where residents say the existing roads can no longer cope with the area’s population explosion.

Louise Neal, transport planning team leader at the county council, told a meeting on Wednesday that the A61/Leeds Road presented the “greatest opportunity” to tackle the town’s traffic jams through the measures that are being explored.

But councillors frustrated with slow progress have questioned why there is such a great focus on the road when others are suffering from similar congestion woes.

Traffic queueing on Skipton Road.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the local Liberal Democrats, said Wetherby Road and Skipton Road needed to be given greater consideration as they are the “busiest” in the town. She said:

“You have only got to go to the Empress Roundabout to see that.

“On Wetherby Road the traffic tails back so far it is unbelievable. Why that road is not being looked at I do not know.”

Councillor Marsh also said the “biggest issue” in her Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division was the decline of bus services as she also argued that there is potential for a park and ride scheme to serve passengers from the Great Yorkshire Showground.

After looking at more than 100 possible park and ride sites, the county council is focusing on the A61 as it wants the scheme to link with the 36 bus service.

‘It just goes on forever’

Although more detailed plans could finally be revealed next year, there is still frustration that all the proposed measures to cut congestion could still be several years away despite the alarm bells ringing over climate change.

Fairfax and Starbeck Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank said:

“The number of reports, consultants and investigations we have – it just goes on forever.

“Skipton Road 30 years ago was the most congested road in North Yorkshire and there were all sorts of promises then.

“We now need to focus, get on and deliver.”

After launching in 2019, the Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme has been hit by recent delays because the work is “extremely time consuming and complex,” the county council said.

It added the latest data gathering stage will take several more months to complete, with a report on the next steps to be revealed “in the first half of 2023”.

New plans to tackle traffic on Harrogate’s A61

North Yorkshire County Council has revealed it is exploring new plans to cut congestion and improve road safety on one of Harrogate’s busiest routes.

Bus lanes, junction upgrades and cycling and walking improvements are being considered for the A61, which is a key artery connecting Ripon and Leeds.

There are also the long-discussed proposals for a park and ride scheme, which could have multiple sites in Harrogate.

The plans form part of a latest study that is underway after debate over the town’s £11.2 million Station Gateway project last year ignited calls for the Parliament Street section of the A61 to revert to two-way traffic as it was pre-1971.

However, the county council has repeatedly rejected the idea, saying the projected £30 million costs were not manageable.

Councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transportation, has again reaffirmed the authority’s stance whilst also revealing that a second phase of the Harrogate Transport Improvements Programme study is now focusing on other proposals for the A61. He said:

“Our position on the A61 one-way system remains unchanged.

“A two-way system would be likely to have a detrimental effect on Parliament Street and West Park, increasing congestion along this corridor and worsening air quality for people who live, work and spend time in the area.

“In addition, initial estimates of re-introducing two-way traffic indicated the cost would be at least £30 million. This would now be significantly higher following recent rises in inflation.

“We are preparing a number of proposals for the A61 corridor in line with government guidance on the development of major schemes.

“Detailed work is expected to be complete by the end of this year, after which we will take options to the public for consideration.”

After launching in 2019, the Harrogate Transport Improvements Programme has been hit by recent delays because the work is “extremely time consuming and complex”.

That is according to a council report, which also highlighted how there were further setbacks when the council’s £116 million bid to the government’s Bus Back Better scheme failed to secure any funding.

At the centre of the bid was plans for a Harrogate park and ride scheme and the council has again insisted that this is still a priority.

More than 100 possible sites have been examined and the two most promising were previously revealed as land near Pannal Golf Club and the Buttersyke Bar roundabout south of the village.

These were identified as they connect to the 36 bus service which runs between Harrogate, Ripon and Leeds on the A61.

Keane Duncan

But Cllr Duncan said more than one park and ride site would be needed in order to make the scheme a success and encourage people to change their travel habits. He added:

“If park and ride is developed further, we will hold further discussions with bus operators, because proximity to existing bus services is crucial to a scheme’s financial viability and sustainability.

“The Harrogate Transport Improvements Programme study focuses on improving provision for walking and cycling, improvements to junctions and enhanced priority for buses along the A61 Leeds Road, and the feasibility of park and ride services across the wider Harrogate area.

“Our aim is to deliver long-lasting benefits in a consistent, co-ordinated way.”

A61 reopens between Ripley and Ripon after Land Rover fire

The A61 has reopened between Ripley and Ripon after a Land Rover caught fire.

Harrogate fire station tweeted about the incident just before 4pm today.

It added:

“The fire has been extinguished but road remains closed due to fuel spillage.”

North Yorkshire Police tweeted shortly after 5pm that the road had reopened.

Thank you for your patience – the A61 south of Ripon has now re-opened in both directions. https://t.co/xdaLIyE7Dg

— North Yorkshire Police (@NYorksPolice) August 12, 2022

It had earlier warned that the surface was unsafe.

Anyone travelling north on the A61 towards Ripon is asked to come off on Moor Road into Bishop Monkton, then follow Knaresborough Road into Ripon.

The A61 is closed in both directions and is likely to remain so for some time, so please plan your journeys accordingly.

(2/2)

— North Yorkshire Police (@NYorksPolice) August 12, 2022

Buses were also affected.

https://twitter.com/harrogatebus/status/1558109060712595456

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Tackling speed ‘the priority’

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

‘It just goes on forever’

Read more:

Read more: