A bus company has called for Harrogate to introduce a low emission zone as part of the debate about the proposed £7.9 million Station Gateway project.

If adopted, only low polluting hybrid and electric vehicles would have access to Lower Station Parade, which runs alongside the town’s bus station.

The Station Gateway project is a government-funded scheme to regenerate the town centre and promote sustainable travel.

Consultation is ongoing, and Alex Hornby, chief executive of the Harrogate Bus Company, a subsidiary of Transdev, said a low emission zone should be created covering the town’s bus station and Lower Station Parade alongside it.

Currently, Lower Station Parade is a one-way street with two lanes of traffic, both of which are open to all road users.

He said:

“While we see the Station Gateway proposals as a positive step towards our shared aim of a low emission town, we must go further for Harrogate’s future by making the most of this tremendous opportunity.

“The creation of a low emission zone, covering the current bus station, plus Lower Station Parade which currently divides the bus and rail stations from the main shopping area, is vital if we are serious about improving Harrogate’s air quality.”

Mr Hornby said the company’s electric buses had improved air quality but more needed to be done:

“The proposed bus priority measures at Lower Station Parade and Cheltenham Parade – the first such measures to be put forward in the town’s history – are a positive start, and are to be welcomed, but by themselves are unlikely to go far enough to achieve Harrogate Borough Council’s stated aim of creating a net-zero carbon economy by 2038.”

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Mr Hornby added previous consultations had shown a majority of the public supported non-car solutions to traffic problems and “now is the time for bold thinking”.

A partnership of North Yorkshire local authorities has secured £31 million from the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities fund for three separate projects in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby.

The aim is to finalise designs and start construction work by summer 2022, with completion in 2023.

An online consultation into the Station Gateway proposals runs until Wednesday 24 March 2021. You can take part here:

Harrogate Bus Company is to offer free shuttle buses to the Great Yorkshire Showground for people who have covid vaccine appointments.

The bus will match the opening hours of the centre and will run from Tuesday, January 26.

The company will use one of its zero-emission electric buses to shuttle patients to and from the site.

It said on its website:

“Buses will run every 30 minutes between Harrogate bus station and the vaccination centre on Wetherby Road, so you’ll never have long to wait to get to your appointment or back again.”

Read more:

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It comes as the majority of vaccines for people in the district are being offered at the showground.

Health bosses announced earlier this week that all care home residents and staff in North Yorkshire will be vaccinated before the end of this week.

52,500 people in the highest priority groups have received a covid vaccine in York and North Yorkshire, according to Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP, Andrew Jones.

Key workers have been proving their worth every day in the pandemic – and some did so in spades again today.

Members of staff at The Harrogate Bus Company took to the roads with shovels and grit to help keep drivers moving.

When heavy snow fell for most of the day, major routes came to a standstill, leaving drivers stranded and holding up bus services. So, suspending services in the face of poor conditions, drivers, engineers, cleaners and even directors got to work in a new way.

A member of Harrogate Bus Company staff clears the road

Operations director Vitto Pizzuti said:

“Our team has really pulled together, to try and help around the town on a difficult day. The weather looks to have caught a lot of people by surprise, so we’ve been out gritting roads, getting stuck cars moving again, and doing what we can to help.

“The generosity of others has been really welcome too – like the team in Sainsbury’s in Knaresborough bringing hot drinks to our drivers waiting in the bus station.

“We’re hoping to have buses running normally again very soon, thanks to the effort of our colleagues.”

Read more:

• Gallery: Full day of heavy snow hits Harrogate district hard
• How Harrogate’s snow day unfolded and caused chaos

Free Sunday buses and free weekday parking after 3pm are being introduced this month to encourage shoppers to spend money in Harrogate’s shops this Christmas.

Harrogate Business Improvement District, which aims to boost the town centre, is behind both projects.

The ‘free after three’ parking initiative allows motorists to park in the Victoria car park on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays free of charge after 3pm.

It begins on Monday and will run until Christmas Eve.

The ‘Sunday Freeway’ initiative, which returns this year, gives people the chance to catch a free ride on one of Harrogate Bus Company’s electric buses on a Sunday.

It includes the 2A, 2B, 3 and 6 services, which link Bilton, Dene Park, The Knox, Jennyfield and Pannal Ash with the town centre. The initiative will run through December and into the New Year.

The projects are part of the BID’s Harrogate at Christmas campaign, which encourages shoppers to support local businesses after a difficult year that has seen many closures.

Harrogate BID acting chairman Sara Ferguson said:

“Because of the lockdown, traders in the town have already lost a month’s worth of business and are playing catchup.

“Now we are coming out of the second lockdown, we are launching these two initiatives to bring people into town, via two different modes of transport.”

Read more:

• Harrogate’s independent shops say they will wait to see how many shoppers return before opening late.
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The Harrogate Bus Company chief executive Alex Hornby said:

“It’s amazing news for our town – reducing emissions and congestion, while making it easier for everyone to support our local economy and get our town’s traders back on their feet.

“Harrogate’s businesses have had an incredibly tough year, with two lockdowns and continued restrictions impacting everyone. It’s now up to us all to support them as they re-open for the crucial run-up to Christmas by taking advantage of free travel.”

Knaresborough is to get its first electric bus, in a move that will reduce carbon emissions in the town.

Harrogate Bus Company announced on Clean Air Day today it will trial the number 1 route from tomorrow for a week.

The number 1 is one of the company’s busiest routes and it is hoped the electric bus will become a permanent feature on Knaresborough’s roads within 12 to 18 months.

Air pollution at Bond End in Knaresborough, which is one of the stops on the route, remains at illegal levels.

Knaresborough Chamber of Trade said the trial was a positive step in becoming a greener town.

Steve Teggin, president of the chamber, said:

“It’s a perfect run because there is an enormous amount of traffic from Harrogate to Knaresborough to shop.

“We are very excited to encourage a greener environment and this is a great step forward. We hope this will encourage people to come and support our shops.”

It is hoped the trial will be successful and further funding for the initiative in Knaresborough can be approved within 12-18 months.

The bus will run off one charge overnight.

The Harrogate Bus Company has said the trial will allow it to test the technology and ensure customers are happy with the new service.

Alex Hornby, chief executive of Harrogate Bus Company, said:

“We have committed some investment for next year and we hope to make it as successful as the Harrogate electric buses. It’s the main route to connect Harrogate and Knaresborough so it seems like an obvious next step to bring this technology into Knaresborough.”

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• Harrogate Bus Company has said it will plant a further 39 trees following its green initiative. 
• Local Lib Dems have proposed a citizen’s assembly to tackle climate change.

Harrogate Bus Company is to plant more trees in Harrogate as part of its commitment to cutting carbon emissions.

The company introduced fume-free buses in 2018 after it won £2.25 million of government funding.

Last year it pledged to plant one tree for every 10,000 miles covered by its fleet of eight electric buses.

To celebrate Clean Air Day tomorrow, the company has announced its buses have together covered over 400,000 miles.

It has already planted an oak tree on West Park and has now revealed another 39 trees will be planted in three areas served by the buses – Nidd Gorge, close to Bilton, Jennyfield and in the pine woods near Pannal Ash.

Alex Hornby, chief executive of Harrogate Bus Company, said:

“Every year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK so our Harrogate Electrics buses play a vitally important role in clearing the air and protecting our local environment.

“Alongside our electric buses, trees help by absorbing even more carbon dioxide emissions.”

Clean Air Day is normally held in June but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Read more:

• Local lib dems have proposed a citizen’s assembly to tackle climate change. 
• More buses are in place as pupils return to school in an attempt to limit contact between pupils and the public.

The local campaign group, Zero Carbon Harrogate, welcomed the news. Chair Jemima Parker said:

“We are dedicated to making Harrogate a zero-carbon community by 2030 to secure a sustainable future, and The Harrogate Bus Company’s electric buses are making a vitally important contribution towards realising that ambition.

“As we begin rebuilding our local economy beyond the pandemic, we can’t just go back to congested streets and traffic jams.”

The transport company Transdev has begun its new bus service from Harrogate to Leeds Bradford Airport.

The A2 Flyer bus, which replaced the 747 Flying Tiger service on Sunday, stops at local villages including Pannal, Huby and Poole-in-Wharfedale on the way to the airport. It also goes to Yeadon, Rawdon and Bradford.

An airport return ticket, valid for 28 days, costs £8.90 for a single adult and £15 for a group.

A seven-day ticket for one person costs £24 and a 28-day ticket costs £77.

The buses offer free WiFi and every seat has a USB charging point.

Transdev said in a statement the new route provided “a post-lockdown boost” to the regional economy.

Chief executive Alex Hornby said:

“We’re delighted to have secured a multi-year contract to introduce these amazing Flyer buses to Yorkshire. This new service is a very important element of our growth strategy and will attract new customers by creating buses that people are proud to be seen on.”

Read more:

• New bus service from Harrogate to Leeds Bradford Airport

• Thousands line streets for Harrogate Town’s open-top bus parade

The coronavirus pandemic has seen passenger numbers at Leeds Bradford Airport fall well below normal levels. Last week, Jet2 cancelled all flights to Ibiza, Menorca and Majorca for the rest of the summer season.

Harrogate Town fans are expected to be out in yellow and black tomorrow, as an open-top bus full of the team’s players parades through the town.

It’s in celebration of their historic 3-1 win over Notts County last Sunday, taking them into League Two for the first time in the club’s history.

The bus will leave the CNG Stadium tomorrow at 12.05pm and go on a 35-minute tour of the town, finishing back at their home ground on Wetherby Road.

Garry Plant, managing director at the club, spoke to the Stray Ferret ahead of the parade:

“Hopefully existing and new fans will be there to see the players and trophy. Players are looking forward to connecting back with the fans as they were denied of that at Wembley, and it’s a case of closing the door on the celebration and now it’s down to business of getting promoted.”

Photo Credit: Matt Kirkham, Harrogate Town

Harrogate Town has reassured supporters that precautionary steps are in place to ensure social distancing is observed at their open-top bus parade.

“We have had to write volumes of protocol, working with North Yorkshire Police as well as our own covid officer – it has been hard work but well worth it. The bus won’t be stopping as if the bus stops then people will gather and that brings a whole raft of issues… so the bus will be going along at Harrogate pace and people will get a chance to see the players and the trophy.”

Read more:

• Harrogate Town’s history boys promoted after Wembley win
• The 10 years that changed Harrogate Town’s fortunes
• Open top bus parade – the full route 

The Harrogate Bus Company is providing the open-top bus, which will be decorated in true “Town style”.

Alex Hornby, of bus company Transdev Blazefield, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are really proud to donate an open-top bus to take part in the celebrations for our town and our local club, and felt it a worthy recognition of for Harrogate Town’s incredible and historic win and entry into the football league.

“By its nature, this is a roving tour of several miles covering the town centre and surrounding area, with no deliberate focal point and the full support and co-operation of the police and local authority. We encourage everyone to celebrate with us all safely.”