Otley Road to be closed for cycle route improvements

Otley Road in Harrogate will be closed for five nights next month while remedial works are carried out to the cycle path.

The work follows a review of the project by North Yorkshire County Council and contractor WSP after its completion last February.

The company had been asked to carry out improvements, including carriageway resurfacing, but this was delayed until after CityFibre installed new fibre broadband infrastructure earlier this year.

Now, dates have been set for the remedial work.

Otley Road will be closed between Cold Bath Road and Harlow Moor Road every night from April 24 to 28, from 7pm to 3am.

The Stray Ferret asked the council for full details of the work to be carried out, but had not received a response by the time of publication.

The news of the planned works follows an announcement from the council that it was scrapping the second phase of the three-part cycle lane scheme.

The first phase, which saw shared and segregated cycle lanes installed on Otley Road between Cold Bath Road and Harlow Moor Road, has come under fire since its construction. As part of a joint project which also aimed to widen the junction between Otley Road and Harlow Moor Road, it cost more than £2.2m.

Pedestrians have said the shared paths do not feel safe, while cyclists said it did nothing to encourage more people to cycle.

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As a result, the council said it is reviewing plans for schemes to encourage active travel and would not be extending the cycle route to Beech Grove, as originally planned.

Speaking last month, the council’s executive member for transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said:

“Our proposal to consider an alternative package of sustainable transport measures demonstrates how we are listening to public feedback. Halting construction of phase two allows us the opportunity to prepare new measures with local input and support.

“The constraints of Otley Road meant it was always going to be difficult to meet government cycle infrastructure design standards without infringing on the Stray, widening the road or removing trees.

“We consulted on a number of options, but these were not fully compliant and attracted criticism. Cyclists have expressed concerns that the proposed cycle way would not encourage more cycling due to its design, while pedestrians said they were concerned about their safety.

“Given the concerns, it is right that we think again and explore alternative measures to promote walking, cycling and use of public transport.”

Cycling consultation event highlights Harrogate’s deep divide

A heated consultation event about the latest plans to encourage cycling in Harrogate highlighted the dilemma facing decision-makers.

North Yorkshire County Council held the event at Harrogate Civic Centre on Friday to hear views about the second phase of the Otley Road cycle route.

Some residents in the area made it clear they didn’t think any of the three options put forward were practical and called for the scheme to be scrapped.

They accused the council staff present of ignoring their views and claimed the consultation was a waste of time.

But some cyclists, frustrated by the length of time it is taking to implement active travel schemes that have funding in place, urged the council to get on with it. However, they have concerns about how safe some of the options are for cyclists.

Cycling consultation event

Studying the designs for the various options.

A major problem for the council is the narrowness of Otley Road and nearby streets that could be affected, such as Beech Grove and Victoria Road.

It makes it difficult to introduce cycle lanes wide enough to meet current design standards without imposing traffic restrictions, such as one-way systems.

Melisa Burnham, area highways manager at the council, said the consultation had so far received more than 100 replies. She added:

“Otley Road is incredibly constrained and we are trying hard to find the right way forward.”

To take part in the consultation, which ends on November 28, click here.

The three options for Otley Road

Option 1

The first option is what was originally proposed for this second phase of the Otley Road cycle path, which runs between the junctions of Cold Bath Road and Beech Grove.

These plans include junction upgrades and shared cycle paths and footways, similar to what has already been built on Otley Road. But the county council said some sections could be too narrow, which is why it is considering re-routing.

Option 2

Under these plans the route would be diverted onto Victoria Road with a one-way traffic system and the removal of some parking spaces to allow for a 1.5 metre wide cycle path.

The one-way traffic system would run up until Lancaster Road, before connecting with Beech Grove.

Option 3

This final option would see a 3m wide shared cycle path and footway built on Queens Road before connecting with Lancaster Road and Beech Grove.

Parallel and toucan crossings are also proposed.

‘Nightmare’ and ‘flawed’: Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path under further fire

Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path project has come under further fire from residents who have described the first phase as a “nightmare” and “fundamentally flawed”.

Rene Dziabas, chairman of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association, said the group carried out a survey of residents and businesses along the street and that feedback was “very heavily negative” with only two positive comments received.

He told a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee today that serious safety concerns were raised over the works completed so far which were also described as like “crazy golf construction”.

He said:

“The general feeling is that this scheme will do very little – if anything – to offset the huge housing to the west of Harrogate and that nothing proposed so far convinces us that the core traffic problem will in any way be mitigated.”

Mr Dziabas called on the county council to carry out a “meaningful and proper” consultation on the next two stages of the cycle path which is facing yet more delays after first securing funding in 2017.

A first stage opened to cyclists at the start of this year, however, it has yet to be fully completed after a safety audit found faults with the works carried out.
Louise Neal, transport planning team leader at the county council, told today’s meeting that the “necessary amendments” to the cycle path would now be made.

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However, it is currently unclear what works this will involve and when they will be completed with contractors hoping to start in early November.
Ms Neal also said a consultation on phase two of the project will be held this month and that residents and businesses will be able to meet with the designers to share their views. She said

“This additional engagement and further consultation is to ensure that all user groups and residents’ views have been carefully considered.”

Lack of progress

The fresh criticism of the county council’s progress comes as other active travel schemes have yet to produce final designs despite being awarded government cash almost two years ago.

This includes cycling and walking improvements on Oatlands Drive, Victoria Avenue and the A59 near Knaresborough.

Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said his “major concern” was that this accumulation of delayed projects could mean the county council fails to secure future funding for other improvements to tackle Harrogate’s congested roads. He told the meeting:

“We believe this lack of progress will impact on potential future funding bids.”

“We also see the major problem as a lack of an officer who leads in the cycle agenda in the local area and who has local knowledge and authority to deliver these schemes.”

The county council previously said designs for the Victoria Avenue and A59 schemes – which include cycle lanes, improved crossings and reduced speed limits – were “likely” to be revealed this summer.

This has now been pushed back until at least the New Year.

For the Oatlands Drive plans, the county council previously said a consultation was “likely to start soon after” Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend in June.

This is now scheduled to take place this month after original plans for a one-way traffic system were scrapped after a backlash from residents.

Contractor for Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route to be appointed in autumn

Council officials have said a contractor to build the second phase of the Otley Road cycle route in Harrogate is expected to be appointed in the autumn.

But it is still unclear when work on the project will start.

The first phase of the route, which runs from Harlow Moor Road to Cold Bath Road, was completed in January.

However, residents raised concerns over its design and the length of time it took to complete the project.

As a result, county council officials delayed progress on the second phase to review its designs.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire County Council when the next phase of the route will be built and whether a contractor had been procured.

Melissa Burnham, highway area manager at the county council, said:

“Final detailed designs for phase two of the Otley Road cycle route are due to be approved within the next few weeks, with the contract expected to go out to tender during August.

“It is expected the contract will be awarded to the successful provider during the autumn.”

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However, she did not respond to another question enquiring when construction is expected to start.

Council officials had previously set that procurement for a contractor would begin in June.

The second phase of the cycle lane will run from Arthurs Avenue to Beech Grove.

Costs have yet to be revealed for the next section of the route, but Hull-based PBS Construction was awarded a contract worth £827,000 for the first phase.

The third and final phase of the scheme, which will run from Harlow Moor Road to Cardale Park, is expected to be funded via contributions from housing developers.

Council hopes to start Otley Road phase two in autumn

North Yorkshire County Council bosses have said they hope to start work on phase two of Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route in the Autumn.

The first phase of the route, which runs from Harlow Moor Road to Cold Bath Road, was completed in January.

However, residents raised concerns over its design and the length of time it took to complete the project.

As a result, county council officials delayed progress on the second phase to review its designs.

Now, the authority is expected to begin procurement for a contractor in June to start work on the second section of the route.

The new cycle lane will run from Arthurs Avenue to Beech Grove.

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Costs have yet to be revealed for the next section of the route, but Hull-based PBS Construction was awarded a contract worth £827,000 for the first phase.

When asked whether residents had been consulted on the next section of the cycle path, a county council spokesperson said:

“The phase two design was consulted on in 2019 but we will be engaging with local stakeholders to update them of progress to date and next steps.”

Meanwhile, phase three of the scheme, which would run from Harlow Moor Road to Cardale Park, is expected to be funded via contributions from housing developers.

Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said previously that lessons needed to be learned from the first phase of the project.

He said:

“The higher quality cycle path we get, the more people will use it – that has always been our view as we want a scheme that delivers facilities which everyone can use.

“We also want lessons to be learnt from the first phase, and hopefully there is a genuine willingness to take on board the points we made.”

Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route ‘on budget’ despite problems

Harrogate’s long-delayed Otley Road cycle path is on budget despite the troubled project running into more problems.

That is according to North Yorkshire County Council, which first secured funding five years ago and has recently faced design and safety complaints over the first phase of works completed in January.

The council – which is now reviewing designs for the final two phases – said the cycle path has so far been delivered to the expected costs and that it currently did not anticipate “any overspend”.

The project is part of a wider package of transport improvements for the west of Harrogate which once completed will cost around £4.6 million.

Around £2 million of this was allocated for the Otley Road cycle path, and so far £1.6 million has been spent on design, construction and utility costs, according to the council.

This is made up of £1.04 million on phase one and £559,182 on phase two which has yet to begin.

A council spokesperson said: 

“Invoices are still due for phase one, and phase two has yet to be started therefore costs will increase, however we are on budget.”

‘No indication’ on phase three progress

Phase one and two are being funded by the government’s National Productivity Investment Fund, while phase three will be built using contributions from housing developers planning to build hundreds of new homes in the west of Harrogate.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said the campaign group had been given “no indication” of how these negotiations with developers were progressing and that this was a “worry” for when the project could be completed in full.

He added: 

“The main issue for us is the time this project has taken already and with the further delays surely that means the costs are going to go up.

“Hopefully the council keeps within budget for the whole project and it gets delivered in full soon.”

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His comments come after members of Harrogate District Cycle Action recently met with council officials to highlight their concerns over the first phase.

Parts of the completed works have been described as “unsafe” and “badly designed,” with a narrowed section of cycle path at Otley Road’s junction with Harlow Moor Road being a particular concern.

The council is currently in talks with Yorkshire Water to buy a small plot of land in order to remove a wall and widen a corner on this part of the route.

Otley Road cycle lane construction in December 2021.

Otley Road cycle lane construction in December 2021.

The council also said it would take all feedback onboard as part of its review of phases two and three which are being redrawn in line with new government guidance.

Mr Douglas added:

“The higher quality cycle path we get, the more people will use it – that has always been our view as we want a scheme that delivers facilities which everyone can use.

“We also want lessons to be learnt from the first phase, and hopefully there is a genuine willingness to take on board the points we made.”

The council previously said it hoped to start work on phase two in April.

However, this is now likely to be in May or June.

New moves to improve cycling in North Yorkshire

A local authority facing a huge demand to increase cycling infrastructure has revealed it is mapping all non-public right-of-way cycle routes for the first time to make it easier for people to swap their cars for bikes.

North Yorkshire County Council’s highways team is set to produce a cycling route map spanning England’s largest county while also examining moves such as segregating road users as sweeping Highway Code changes are introduced to make cycling easier and safer.

The announcements follow the authority being inundated with proposals for cycle route schemes from residents and community groups after the authority received £1m from Department for Transport Active Travel Fund last year to improve the infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.

Despite numerous calls for action to enable active travel in rural areas, the council said it would focus the funding on large towns, such as Harrogate, as greater populations meant better value for money.

Harrogate currently has cycling routes planned for Otley Road and Victoria Avenue in Harrogate and Harrogate Road in Knaresborough.

A meeting of the county’s Local Access Forum this week heard safety concerns continued to be a major factor in determining whether people chose to cycle and that the government was trying to discourage segregating cyclists by using white lines, “given that white lines don’t do anything to protect cyclists”.

Instead, highway officers said, the authority was now moving towards physically segregating cyclists and motorists, but it was a more expensive than simply using white lines and would “not happen overnight”.

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The forum’s chairman, Paul Sherwood, said action was needed to improve roads for cyclists. He said:

“Is the highways section of the county council aware of the incredibly dangerous situation of the appallingly maintained roads in which cycling is extremely hazardous in the way the roads are at the moment?”

Funding from developers

Officers replied that the roads were subject to a scheduled programme of inspections and the council was looking to gain extra funding through property developers’ contributions for safety improvements. The meeting heard the availability of funding could increase when the forthcoming unitary authority controls most of the county’s planning matters.

The meeting was told it was hoped a county-wide map of non-public right of way routes would make it easier for cyclists to plan.

An officer said:

“We recognise it is not that easy to find out where those routes are. We are moving towards making that more accessible.”

The meeting heard the authority would be taking into account the HIghway Code changes, in which cyclists are encouraged to cycle in the middle of the road, but the changes were unlikely to impact on the design for cycling infrastructure.

Councillors were told the council would examine schemes such as one introduced in parts of York where bollards have been placed at the side of the road to segregate cyclists and motorists, which had increased safety for cyclists while the narrowing of the road had slowed traffic.

Hull company awarded £827,000 Otley Road cycle route contract

A Hull-based engineering company has been awarded an £827,000 contract to construct the first phase of the Otley Road cycleway in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire County Council appointed PBS Construction for the project, which is known as the West Harrogate Scheme, with a start date earmarked for September 20.

The company has largely carried out projects in East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, but has previously repaired the Kirkby-Masham bridge in North Yorkshire at a cost of £229,500.

The firm is also a sponsor of Hull FC rugby league club.

According to government procurement documents, the contract is valued at £827,100 and is set to end in November this year.

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager at the county council, said:

“The bid process allows any interested companies to bid. All tenders are evaluated and in this case PBS Construction Ltd were the stand-out applicants.

“Work is scheduled to begin in September and we will be issuing an update shortly.”

Work will include widening Otley Road on the approach to Harlow Moor Road as well as the creation of a designated left turn lane on the western approach to Harlow Moor Road and designated right turn lane on the eastern approach.

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An off-road cycle route will also be created between Harlow Moor Road and Cold Bath Road as part of the contract.

Traffic light junctions will also be upgraded.

The county council previously confirmed to the Stray Ferret that the final two phases of the scheme would also be awarded via open tender.

Negotiations with the Duchy of Lancaster over the exchange of Stray land have caused delays.

Harrogate Borough Council agreed in March to designate a plot of land on Wetherby Road as Stray land in exchange for the loss of grass verges on Otley Road for the new cycle path.