A move to make Oatlands Drive one-way would have a “devastating effect” on students and make surrounding roads congested.

Residents and a student at St Aidan’s and St John Fisher’s Associated Sixth Form got in touch with the Stray Ferret to express their concerns about the scheme ahead of a consultation closing today.

It comes as a leaflet campaign was launched in the area which encouraged residents to send e-mails to local councillors, media and council officers objecting to the plan.

North Yorkshire County Council received £1,011,750 for cycling improvements and outlined three cycle route projects in Harrogate.

Highways bosses have launched a consultation into the plan which would make the street one-way southbound, limit the speed limit to 20mph and create a new segregated cycleway.

Read more:

• Cars could make way for cyclists on another Harrogate road
• ‘Time to share the roads,’ says Harrogate cycling group

In an e-mail to the Stray Ferret and his headteacher, Thomas Adamson, a year 12 student at St Aidan’s and St John FIsher’s Associated Sixth Form, said the move would have a “negative effect” on his learning and his journey to school.

Thomas, who travels to school from Wetherby, said it would add a further 20 minutes onto his bus journey as Wetherby Road was already “notoriously busy”.

He said:

“While I understand the motivation behind the one-way system, there are already usable bike lanes on Oatlands Drive and two wide pavements for pedestrians and I must think about my own future and the futures of those who must use public transport

“In conclusion, If you allow the building of this new one-way system, it will not only be a waste of public funds that could be used elsewhere to improve Wetherby Road or to provide technology for online learning to those less fortunate than I am, it also have an actively negative affect on my learning in a year that has already had so much disruption and yet is still pivotal for my future.”

Oatlands Drive, Harrogate.

Meanwhile, Philip and Julia Clarke, who live on Park Edge, told the Stray Ferret that they strongly object to the proposal as it would affect their journey to the town centre.

They said:

“In order to drive northwards from our home into Harrogate and beyond, we would have to turn right (southwards) at the end of our street and then find a route to travel north.

“To access businesses and facilities in the town centre or in the northerly part of the town and beyond, which we regularly do, would involve a more circuitous and longer journey.

“That would mean using Wetherby Road or Leeds Road, which would add to the congestion on those roads.”

However, cyclist groups have welcomed the scheme and said it was time that roads were shared with drivers.

Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate and District Cycle Action, told the Stray Ferret previously that the measures fit into a wider vision for the town.

He said:

“The main aim is to get people cycling for short journeys into the town centre. We hope to have segregate cycle lanes on all the arterial routes.

“Some think that we want the roads to be car free but we just want to be able to share the roads safely.

“Even the most experienced cyclists feel unsafe with big lorries passing them close by and would feel much safer with a segregated lane.”

Other schemes under consideration include:

• A59, Maple Close, Harrogate to Knaresborough: segregated cycle lanes along an existing cycle route and improved crossing facilities at either end;
• Victoria Avenue, Harrogate, Princes Square to Station Parade: pedestrian crossing improvements, segregated cycling infrastructure and bike storage facilities.

People can give their views on the projects here.

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. 

Oatlands one-way system will cause havoc

Thoughtless Implementation

I live on Beech Grove and feel the need to redress the apparent balance of opinion on the new traffic scheme. It is not yet clear whether it will be an eventual benefit as it awaits the link to the cycleways on Otley Road, which are later this year. So patience is required for now.

However, it has been the most thoughtless implementation imaginable. The signs are completely inadequate to inform the motorists of the change so it is almost inevitable that drivers will come up against the barriers. It would have been so easy to display reasonable size signs in good time, but no, it has been implemented as a motorist trap. It would also have helped if there was a partial barrier at the town end of Beech Grove, outside Wentworth Court, being a clear indicator that entry was for residents and parking only.

Whoever has done this should show a little respect for road users.

Chris Graville, Harrogate

Bewerley Park changes lives – we must preserve it

Harrogate schools have shone during covid crisis

As we possibly move closer to a phased reopening of schools, a word of praise and gratitude for our local schools and their excellent staff: the state primary and secondary schools attended by my daughters in years 3 and 7 have done a truly marvellous job of providing user-friendly, well structured online education to pupils during lockdown, honing their provision during this latest period of restriction to a fine art.

They even set up a laptop and tablet donation scheme when the government’s promise to provide these where needed fell short of the mark.

The schools’ exemplary efforts in such testing times show up Education Secretary Gavin Williamson’s premature encouragement to parents to report inadequate online provision for what it is: an act of petty, ideologically driven malice.

Glyn Hambrook, Harrogate

Got an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

A Harrogate cycling group which consults with local councils believes that it is time for cars to start sharing the road with cyclists more.

The Harrogate and District Cycle Action (HDCA) comments come ahead of another proposed shakeup of the town centre to encourage cycling and walking.

North Yorkshire County Council will launch a consultation on Monday into its “gateway” project, which includes James Street and Station Parade.

The comments also come in the week that debate raged on about the closure of Beech Grove and proposals to make Oatlands Drive one way.

The Stray Ferret has seen record numbers of comments about these stories on our social media posts this week, in which people seem to be increasingly polarised.

Some local residents came out against the schemes because, they said, it would reduce access and choice for them. But others welcomed the news.

Read more:

• Cars could make way for cyclists on another Harrogate road
• Cars drive over Stray to avoid Harrogate road closure

Contrary to claims that the road closures appear random, the Harrogate and District Cycle Action (HDCA) group said that they all play into a wider vision for the town.

Kevin Douglas, chair of the HDCA, told the Stray Ferret:

“The main aim is to get people cycling for short journeys into the town centre. We hope to have segregate cycle lanes on all the arterial routes.

“Some think that we want the roads to be car free but we just want to be able to share the roads safely.

“Even the most experienced cyclists feel unsafe with big lorries passing them close by and would feel much safer with a segregated lane.

“There has not been any new cycling infrastructure built here since 2015 so it’s not like we have been dominating.

“Housing developers should also think about cycling routes. They build roads for cars but don’t seem to consider bikes, it’s nonsense.

“There are lots of new homes going up in Killinghall and there’s the greenway nearby. It would make sense to connect the village to that existing route.”

Mr Douglas, when asked about demand for all these new cycling routes, pointed to North Yorkshire County Council’s congestion survey in 2019.

That survey, answered by 14,000 people, found that 77% would use improved cycling and walking infrastructure if it was built.

Cars could soon make way for cyclists on another major route in Harrogate under proposals to make Oatlands Drive one-way.

Road closures have become a hot topic in Harrogate lately.

Beech Grove was due to close to through traffic today as part of plans to encourage more cyclists and pedestrians by creating a low traffic neighbourhood.

North Yorkshire County Council wants to create another low traffic neighbourhood in a yet-to-be specified part of Bilton, which could see further restrictions on vehicles.

Now the council is consulting on plans to make Oatlands Drive one-way southbound.

It also wants to limit the speed to 20mph, widen the existing footpath and create a new segregated cycleway.

Four parallel crossings, which combine pedestrian and cycle crossings,  are planned, along with one-way filters that would affect the junctions with St Winifred’s Drive and St Hilda’s Road.

The £215,000 Oatlands project is one of three cycling schemes the council opened consultation on last week.

The two other schemes would see cycle tracks created on Knaresborough Road between High Bridge in Knaresborough and Harrogate Golf Club, as well as on Victoria Avenue between Princes Square and Station Parade.

Read more:

• Controversial Harrogate road closure starts today
• Consultation launched for three Harrogate cycling schemes

The Department for Transport awarded £1,011,750 for the schemes after a successful funding bid by the council.

Of the three schemes, vehicle movements would only be restricted on Oatlands Drive.

‘Ridiculous idea’

One local resident, Mr Brown, told the Stray Ferret some local people were “fuming”.

He said he cycled as well as drove and questioned how forcing vehicles to make longer journeys into town along Wetherby Road would ease congestion and improve the environment.

Mr Brown said many of the roads named after saints were already clogged up by cars parked by Harrogate District Hospital staff. He added:

“To me this seems ridiculous. There are not that many cyclists and the ones I have seen are the Saturday morning groups who respect other road users and are competent cyclists.

“This is just going to cause havoc for the saints area. The real problem is lack of parking at the hospital and parents dropping their children off.

“I personally agree there should be a crossing by the Stray on Oatlands Drive so walkers can continue along the path but to make it one way for a few cyclists seems ridiculous and a waste of taxpayers money!”

Beech Grove is due to close for six months and, depending on the results of a public consultation, could become permanent.

Work to install the signage, bollards and planters will take three days from today, weather permitting.

You can take part in the Oatlands Drive consultation by clicking or tapping here.

North Yorkshire County Council has launched a public consultation for three schemes to improve cycling infrastructure in Harrogate.

In December, NYCC accepted £1,011,750 as part of a five-year, £2 billion programme by the Department for Transport to improve walking and cycling infrastructure.

The money will be spent on three projects in Harrogate plus one in Whitby.

The public can have their say on the proposals here. The consultation will close on February 23.

The schemes under consideration in Harrogate are:

• Oatlands Drive, Harrogate: segregated cycle lanes along an existing cycle route, improved crossing facilities at four locations and other improvements;
• A59, Maple Close, Harrogate to Knaresborough: segregated cycle lanes along an existing cycle route and improved crossing facilities at either end;
• Victoria Avenue, Harrogate, Princes Square to Station Parade: pedestrian crossing improvements, segregated cycling infrastructure and bike storage facilities.

Read more:

• Government awards North Yorkshire £1 million for walking and cycling

• Highfield pupils earn ‘eco-points’ for walking and cycling to school

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, said:

“To help us to develop our proposals, we are inviting local people to give us their views on the proposed corridors and potential improvements. Detailed designs will follow, taking account of the feedback we receive, and we will consult further on those later in March.

“The grant comes with strict conditions. Schemes must be delivered quickly, should reallocate road space from vehicles in favour of cyclists and pedestrians, and offer alternatives to existing, well-used bus routes.”

An initiative to promote walking and cycling for fitness and wellbeing during the lockdown has been launched in Ripon.

The community interest company Ripon Together is behind the Healthy Journeying scheme.

It encourages people to get their daily exercise on foot or bike while enjoying the city’s scenery.

A website which gives details about safe local walking and cycle routes has been set up to support the project.

The Dean of Ripon the Very Revd John Dobson.

The Dean of Ripon, the Very Revd John Dobson, is chair of Ripon Together. He said:

“In this further lockdown it is even more important to look after each other.

“Ripon Together is supporting people’s health and wellbeing through its website where they can find lots of local walks and cycle routes.

“We are also hoping – covid restrictions permitting – to hold the traditional pilgrimage to Fountains Abbey, which could not take place on Boxing Day, on 1 May”.

He said Ripon Together was set up to make Ripon an even better place to live and it was important to encourage people to move around the city and its surrounding area sustainably, adding:

“We want more people to cycle and walk, and we want better access to the city and its countryside for those with disabilities.  We need local infrastructure to support this.  We would love to hear from anyone with ideas on how that can be delivered.”

Ripon Together is also supporting the creation of local greenways and a walking and cycling strategy for the city, as envisaged in the City Plan approved in a referendum in February 2019.

Read more:

• Ripon’s parish precept is frozen
• Road closure continues in Ripon city centre 

The proposed Clotherholme development would significantly increase traffic in the city.  Healthy journeying – cycling and walking – would reduce congestion and pollution.

Ripon Together is also asking local people to help walking charity The Ramblers to identify paths that have been in public use but are not shown as footpaths or bridleways so that they can be protected under law.

If you know of any such paths, or want to volunteer to help the project, e-mail info@ripontogether.com

People who find public footpaths or bridleways obstructed or in poor condition can use the same e-mail address and Ripon Together will pass on the information to The Ramblers.

The government has awarded North Yorkshire more than £1 million as part of plans to encourage more walking and cycling.

The funding is part of a five-year, £2 billion programme by the Department for Transport.

It has awarded £19 million of that sum to councils in Yorkshire. North Yorkshire County Council will be given £1,011,750 as part of the deal.

In the Harrogate district, Oatlands Drive, Victoria Avenue and the A59 connecting Starbeck to Knaresborough by Maple Close could benefit from the funding.

The government said the funding was aimed at creating measures to support walking and cycling, such as segregated cycle lanes, closing off streets around schools and improvements for pedestrians.

Read more:

• Growing frustration in Harrogate’s cycling community

• Could cars be banned outside primary schools in Harrogate?

Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, said:

 “It has been great to see so many people build cycling and walking into their daily travel habits. To support them, we know it’s vital to have the right infrastructure in place so everyone – cyclists, pedestrians and motorists – can use our roads.”

The county council made a second bid for £1 million worth of funding in August amid criticism it was not ambitious enough in the first phase.

In the first wave of emergency funding, the authority received £133,000 from government – half the potential amount available.

As part of the second bid, the county council outlined five roads it intended to improve with walkways and segregated cycle lanes.

Three roads in Harrogate were put forward, including Oatlands Drive, Victoria Avenue and the A59 connecting Starbeck to Knaresborough by Maple Close.

‘Excellent news’

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for access at the county council, welcomed the further funding.

He said:

“We are committed to improving active, sustainable modes of travel for people across the county wherever possible.

“Following public engagement in the summer, we submitted a strong bid to the government’s Active Travel Fund, so it’s excellent news that we have been successful in gaining this funding.

“We now await confirmation of the details of the funding from the Department for Transport.”

The 2021 Tour de Yorkshire has been cancelled, it was announced today.

The sixth edition of the event was due to take place from April 30 to May 3.

The 2020 race which was due to pass through Pateley Bridge, Kirkby Malzeard, Masham, Summerbridge and Beckwithshaw was also cancelled.

It means for the first time in years there will be no major cycling event in the Harrogate district.

James Mason, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said the organisation could not financially commit to it. He said:

“During these uncertain times Welcome to Yorkshire needs to focus on the immediate needs of the industry without committing both financial and human resources towards any activity or event that we cannot be certain of.

“Cycling has become synonymous with Yorkshire and the Tour de Yorkshire has become a firm fixture on the world cycling calendar due to the reception the riders and teams receive in our county.

“Whilst it is very disappointing that we will be bereft of this wonderful race for another year the decision we have made is the right one and perhaps the only one we could make.”

Read more:

• Highfield pupils earn eco-points for walking and cycling to school
• Highways chief defends Harrogate cycling progress

The Tour de Yorkshire has provided significant economic benefits to the county since it was created in the wake of the success of the 2014 Tour de France’s Grand Départ in Yorkshire.

It attracted four million roadside spectators.

Mason said the decision had been made after discussions with race organisers, French company the Amaury Sport Organisation.

Yann Le Moenner, director general of the ASO, said:

“We will collectively do our best to relaunch the event in 2022 and give the chance to the world’s best riders to be on the Yorkshire roads in front of one of the most enthusiastic audiences the cycling world has ever seen.”

Four women from the Harrogate district are cycling a total of 2,000 miles in a month to fundraise for a teenager’s life-changing surgery. 

Mia Wright, 14, who has scoliosis, which causes a severe curvature and rotation of the spine, was diagnosed when she was eight years old. She underwent surgery in Turkey in September, recovering well enough to go back to school last week. 

Susie Little, Mia’s godmother, set up a GoFundMe page last month to raise £60,000 for the spinal surgery.

Ms Little decided to take on her latest fundraising challenge of cycling 500 miles after reading about a similar fundraising initiative in The Stray Ferret.

To meet her target, Ms Little will add an extra mile to the distance each day to correspond with the date. For example, on October 1 she cycled one mile, on October 2 she cycled two miles, continuing to October 31 when she will ride 31 miles in a day. 

After hearing about her idea, friends Jude Humphrey and Emma Oates decided to get involved, shortly followed by Mia’s mother Jane. Together they’re aiming to raise £2,000 for the 2000 miles covered. 

Currently completing their miles on exercise bikes at home, the four women hope to celebrate their final day of fundraising by cycling together. 

Read more: 

• Photos bring the outside in for Knaresborough care home residents
• Charity calls on community to help spread Christmas cheer

Speaking about what the surgery means to her, Ms Little said:

“I went to pick Jane and Mia up from the airport after the surgery. The difference in both of them was amazing, Mia could stand up straight for the first time, and she even cried last week when she put her jeans on after surgery for the first time because she was so happy.” 

Total donations for Mia’s surgery currently stand at £44,600. You can donate to Mia’s cause here. 

A woman has called for tighter cycling controls on the Stray after her dog was hit.

Sara Clark said her chihuahua Milo was lucky to be alive after being struck by a cyclist on part of the south Stray where cycling is prohibited.

Ms Clark, who was walking Milo on Friday evening, said:

“He went under his wheel and I heard his scream and he ran towards the road. The vet said he was surprised he wasn’t killed.”

Ms Clark said Milo was badly bruised and required a painkiller injection.

Cyclists are supposed to dismount on this stretch of the Stray but Ms Clark said they often ignored the rules. She added:

“There was a sign 10 metres from us saying cyclists aren’t allowed. I know of three dogs, including Milo, and two elderly people that have been hit.”

“The cyclist just said, ‘What could I have done he should’ve been on a lead?’ My dog should be able to be off a lead, we should feel safe, but now I feel like I can’t let him off a lead. They have ruined it now.”

All of these cyclists were pictured on the south Stray by Sara Clark within the same hour on Monday.

Ms Clark said Harrogate Borough Council should do more to tackle the problem:

“Accidents like this are happening but they are washing their hands of it rather than dealing with it. It is their responsibility to enforce it, even just by doing something to say they are taking it seriously, like using cameras or fines.”

A council spokesman said:

“Our staff will always challenge cyclists who ignore the rules if they witness it happening. Unfortunately, as the Stray covers 200 acres and is accessible 24/7 it is incredibly difficult to witness anyone breaching these rules. Thankfully, the vast majority of cyclists in Harrogate dismount when they should. ”

Ms Clark disputed the claim that the vast majority of cyclists dismounted.

Read more:

• WATCH as dog rescue owner discusses her concerns following the lockdown puppy boom. 
• Harrogate cat went missing for four months and was found 20 miles from home. 

“There’s no excuse for a cyclist being on a footpath where it’s banned. I am of course sorry about the dog being knocked over and the upset to the owner. I don’t agree with cyclists ignoring the rules. I also don’t agree with drivers ignoring the rules, which they do more often and with far more serious consequences.”