Knaresborough traffic misery to continue until late July

Motorists and businesses face several more weeks of traffic misery in Knaresborough due to an ongoing project to install a full-fibre network.

CityFibre, which is installing gigabit-speed wifi services across the Harrogate district, has been carrying out roadworks at Bond End in Knaresborough.

Temporary traffic lights at the site, which have caused major traffic disruption, are set to continue for the rest of the month.

CityFibre also has a permit to work on Boroughbridge Road and High Street in Knaresborough until the end of June.

It is then due to move to the streets around Ash Tree Road, Whincup Avenue and Park Row for another three to four weeks.

Residents reported last week the works were causing slow traffic on Ripley Road and Boroughbridge Road, causing some to even turn back around. Some have questioned why the work is not being conducted overnight.

Businesses are also unhappy about the impact of the roadworks.

Steve Teggin, chair of Knaresborough Chamber of Trade, said;

“The feeling in Knaresborough is appalling right now, there are roadworks everywhere, from blockades to cable laying.

“If this work was being done in Harrogate, it would have been finished long ago.”

£46m project

CityFibre is spending £46m installing full fibre networks in Knaresborough, Harrogate and Ripon, which it says will meet the needs of businesses and residents “for decades to come”.

Kim Johnston, regional partnership director and city manager for HKR at CityFibre, said:

“Digital connectivity has never been more important in Knaresborough, Harrogate and Ripon, as our data consumption grows, the current network infrastructure will become increasingly unfit for purpose.

“We’d like to thank residents for their support and patience while we continue these works, and offer reassurance that this investment aims to deliver long term benefit for all.

“As an essential digital utility, full fibre boosts households and businesses alike, it will not only unlock access to the fastest and most reliable network technology available, for example, it will provide the essential foundations for smart city technologies that make communities safer.”

You can find out more about the full-fibre installation here.

Temporary traffic lights are in place at the junction of York Road, Chain Lane and Wetherby Road as part of other roadworks.

Social distancing cones for pedestrians have also removed parking spaces in the town centre, causing further problems for motorists.

Knaresborough roadworks cause chaos all day

Roadworks near the Bond End roundabout in Knaresborough have caused delays all day, with some commuters stuck in traffic for more than 15 minutes.

Temporary lights are in place at the bottom of the high street, near Bond End, due to telecoms works.

These lights have caused slow traffic flow along Ripley Road and Boroughbridge Road throughout the day heading towards the town’s high street.

The congestion even forced some drivers, coming from Ripley, to turn around rather than continue to sit and wait.

This afternoon’s rush hour is set to be no different, with similar levels of traffic and delays expected.

Read more:

 

Knaresborough air pollution still illegal, despite Bond End changes

Air pollution at Bond End in Knaresborough remains at illegal levels, despite a mini-roundabout being put in to cut toxic vehicle fumes.

These were the findings of Harrogate Borough Council’s latest air quality report that has been submitted to the government. It tracked levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at various monitoring sites across the district throughout 2019.

NO2 is an air pollutant produced mainly by exhaust fumes and has been linked to myriad health conditions including heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s.

The UK still adheres to EU legal limits for air pollution stating no monitoring site should exceed 40 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) over the course of a year — which was breached at Bond End in 2019.

Bond End has been a hotspot for congestion for many years, with regular tailbacks towards the River Nidd.

HBC declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) for the road in 2010, which the government requires councils to do to try and improve areas with particularly bad air pollution. In September 2018, North Yorkshire County Council replaced traffic lights at Bond End with a mini-roundabout to reduce congestion and improve the flow of traffic.

There are four sites monitoring air pollution at Bond End which all reported decreases in 2019. However, one remained above the legal limit at 40.47 µg/m3. The other three monitors at Bond End measured 38.6 µg/m3, 31.2 µg/m3 and 24.27 µg/m3 in 2019.

Read more:

Across the Harrogate district, the report revealed that air pollution is falling. Concentrations within the Harrogate AQMA at Wetherby Road fell, as did Ripon’s AQMA along Low Skellgate, High Skellgate and the junction with Westgate.

During the height of lockdown in March and April, government air pollution monitors reported 50% drops in major towns and cities. However, numbers have almost returned to normal levels since restrictions have eased.

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