Calls to stem escalating cyclist vs motorist conflict in North YorkshireA local authority that has seen surging numbers of cyclists on rural roads since it staged the Tour de France Grand Depart has defended its record in safeguarding riders.
North Yorkshire County Council’s executive heard yesterday the upward trend in cyclists on the county’s 9,000km road network since the 2014 race had increased sharply since covid.
Opposition members questioned whether more could be done to resolve an escalating conflict between cyclists and motorists in rural areas.
It comes at a time when the council is under sustained pressure to reconsider its policy of focusing on cycling road improvements in urban areas, particularly Harrogate.
Officers told the meeting statistics showed while cyclists and drivers were equally to blame for cycle collisions in urban areas of the county, cyclists were at fault for about 70 per cent and drivers 30 per cent of cycle collisions on rural roads.
Councillor Stuart Parsons, leader of the authority’s Independent group, called for twin educational campaigns to teach motorists what they need to do when encountering a large group of cyclists in places like Wensleydale and to teach cyclists how they should be riding on the lanes.
He said cyclists were “making themselves a great number of potential enemies and therefore dangerous situations by their approach to using the roads, especially when they are not road taxpayers when using it for their cycles”.
Read more:
Coun Parsons added:
“Cyclists do drive motorists somewhat insane, especially when they are travelling two or three abreast, which they seem to be doing more and more. On these winding roads it makes it difficult for anybody to pass safely.”
Councillor Don Mackenzie, the authority’s executive member for access, replied that while some cyclists needed to learn not to “create obstructions on the highway”, his sympathies were with cyclists as their equipment weighed a few kilograms as opposed to cars that weighed one or two tonnes.
Highway Code changes
Government changes to the Highway Code this autumn will require drivers to give greater space to cyclists and require cyclists to ride single file to help vehicles overtake.
The council’s Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Bryn Griffiths said the council’s highways department appeared to be “reactive rather than proactive” over dealing with risks on the roads.
He said despite some roads being riddled with potholes and being popular cycling routes they never appeared to reach the council’s criteria for road repairs.
Coun Griffiths said:
“In industry it is considered good practice to look at near misses and be proactive and engineer or manage out issues that they have.
“Because of the state of the road cyclists are having to meander all across the road to avoid bumps, lumps and hollows and you get near-misses. But these near-misses aren’t recorded and used to help manage the highway.”
Record spending on road repair
The meeting heard the council had higher maintenance standards for popular cycle routes.
Coun Mackenzie said the authority was aware sides of roads tended to get potholes, which forced cyclists to swerve, but added the council had spent a record amount on road repairs this year.
He said near-misses were difficult to measure and because the council had limited funding for road safety it focused on locations which accident data showed were the most hazardous.
Coun Mackenzie said:
“I hear every day ‘this road is an accident waiting to happen’. I’ve heard that about certain roads since I took on this portfolio in 2015 and we’re still waiting for the accident to happen.”
Starbeck residents raise concerns over street drinkingResidents in Starbeck last night raised concerns about an increase in street drinking and elected a new committee and chair who pledged to tackle the problem.
Starbeck Residents’ Association, which awards grants and campaigns to safeguard local facilities, had its annual general meeting at St Andrew’s Church. It was well-attended with about 80 residents packed into a room inside the church.
Some raised concerns about the “massive issue” of street drinking, with others saying they felt intimidated.
One said:
“Street drinking is a massive issue that needs to be addressed. People drinking during the day using Belmont Park. It’s not good and it’s a continuous problem.”
Another said:
“Older people feel extremely intimidated. It’s in doorways and in parks.”
Some residents suggested the problem had increased since the council’s homeless shelter Fern House opened this year.
Maggie Gibson, a housing officer from Harrogate Borough Council who works at Fern House, rejected this.
She said:
“There is an assumption it’s our residents. That is unfair. We monitor their behaviour.”
The work at Fern House was praised by SRA treasurer and nearby resident Leisa Mark, who encouraged residents to speak to the people that live there.
“Rather than being intimidated, we said hello. They are aware of how people perceive them.”
Read More:
New chair
Chris Watt was voted in as the new SRA chair, replacing the outgoing Geoff Foxall.
Mr Watt was voted in by all but two residents, including Starbeck post office owner Andrew Hart who objected to his appointment due to Mr Watt’s affiliation with the local Labour Party.
A new 15-person committee was also elected. It included people who had lived in Starbeck for decades as well as 16-year-old Emily Mark, who spoke of her pride in living in the area.
Mr Watt told the Stray Ferret:
“We as a committee are focused on issues that are important to Starbeck, such as the high street, green spaces and anti-social behaviour. It’s great to have that mix of youth and experience on the committee.”
Grants awarded
The SRA also announced the recipients of four grants to local charities and organisations.
The grants come from interest on a £300,000 gift that was given to the Starbeck community by Taylor Woodrow, a steel fabrication company that moved away from Starbeck in the early 1990s. The grants are administered by Harrogate Borough Council.
These were:
£1,000 to Harrogate Railway Football Club for new nets.
£1,000 to Starbeck in Bloom to improve the area around the war memorial.
£1,000 to the charity Henshaws for new IT equipment
£400 to Starbeck Methodist Church to promote events.
Harrogate’s Rachel Daly dedicates England goal to late dad MartynHarrogate’s England football star Rachel Daly last night dedicated a goal to her dad Martyn, who recently died.
Daly, who went to Saltergate and Rossett schools and now plays in the United States for Houston Dash, scored the final goal in a 10-0 win against Luxembourg.
After the match Daly, who has 168,000 Twitter followers, dedicated the goal to her dad.
Martyn Daly died days before two recent England fixtures.
Daly started in both matches, including an 8-0 win over North Macedonia in which the players wore black armbands in memory of her father.
Speaking to the BBC, England manager Sarina Wiegman praised Daly:
“How she has performed this week and been focused on football is really incredible”.
Defender Millie Bright scored twice against Luxembourg and dedicated the goals to best friend Daly and Martyn.
She said:
“One was for Rach and one for her pops. She’s done him proud.”.
Read more:
The Stray Ferret met Martyn shortly before the Tokyo Olympics and he beamed with pride talking about his daughter’s journey from Killinghall Nomads boys team to the pinnacle of her sport.
Mr Daly, who lived in Harrogate and worked in IT in Leeds, played football semi-professionally for Harrogate Town and Knaresborough Town in his younger days.
He said in July:
“She’ll never realise what she’s done in the game until it’s over.
“Every pro has a cockiness about them but she’s down to earth too, she’s just my daughter.”
Dame Emma Kirkby to sing at Bach masterpiece in HarrogateWorld renowned soprano Dame Emma Kirkby will be one of the soloists at a performance of J S Bach’s Mass in B minor in Harrogate next month.
The event will take place at at St Peter’s Church on October 8.
The combined choirs of St Peter’s Church and Vocalis chamber choir will be joined by the Harrogate Bach Players.
The other soloists include James Micklethwaite, Aoife O’Connell, Emma Stannard, and Andrew Greenan.
Dame Kirkby, who started as an amateur singer, was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2011.
Read More:
John Longstaff, director of music at St Peter’s, has organised the performance.
He said:
“it’s a wonderful and very difficult piece of music, extremely joyous and celebratory at times.
“I’ve loved it all my life but never had the opportunity to direct it and to perform it with the line-up of soloists and orchestral players who we have joining us, is a dream come true.”
Tickets cost £15. Call 07425161425 for more information.
Call for police action against Harrogate Asda car park ‘boy racers’A Harrogate resident has called for police action against ‘boy racers’ who regularly descend on the town’s Asda car park.
The resident, who lives on Mayfield Grove within earshot of the car park, told the Stray Ferret he would organise a demonstration if nothing was done.
He said people on streets near the store were tired of the noise and had safety concerns about vehicles speeding.
According to the resident, who asked not to be named, about four to six cars belonging mainly to young men congregate nightly in the car park and rev their engines and pop their exhausts.
The resident said they had raised the matter with Philip Allott, the police commissioner for North Yorkshire, and a police community support officer had agreed to visit the supermarket this week to discuss the matter,
They said they would now wait to see what ensued before deciding whether to mobilise support for a demonstration.
“Every night for years these idiots gather in the rear part of Asda car park where they rev their engines then race out of the car park and round Harrogate.
“I have video and pics that I gave to Philip Allott of a Mercedes that is there most nights and which nearly wiped out a couple of customers.
“If the police don’t do anything about it, we are going to arrange a demo at Asda.”
Read more:
A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said:
“We are aware of anti-social-behaviour problems around the Mayfield Grove area of Harrogate, in particular issues with speeding vehicles.
“We will be actively deploying specialist resource to the area which will include roads policing officers who will be robustly dealing with any offences.
“Officers will also be linking in other local organisations and utilising local CCTV to help us build intelligence.”
The spokesman said these measures were in addition to North Yorkshire Police’s ongoing Operation Crome initiative to tackle anti-social and illegal driving.
An Asda spokesman said:
‘’We thank the vast majority who use our car parks responsibly and we will work with the authorities to ensure that the spaces around our stores remain safe for our customers.’’
91 more covid cases in Harrogate district91 positive covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district today, according to Public Health England figures.
It means the district’s seven-day case rate has crept back up above 300 to 309 infections per 100,000 people.
It is the second highest rate in North Yorkshire, with Scarborough’s rate of 318 the highest.
The North Yorkshire rate is 270 and the England rate is 264.
The death toll at Harrogate District Hospital from covid-related illnesses since March 2020 remains at 186.
Read more:
‘Political bias’ row in Starbeck over appointment of residents’ group chairA political row has broken out in Starbeck over the election of a new chair to a residents’ group tonight.
Chris Watt has put his name forward to be on the committee of Starbeck Residents’ Association and to become its new chair.
The association, which awards grants and campaigns to safeguard local facilities, holds its annual general meeting at St Andrew’s Church in Starbeck at 7.30pm.
A vote will take place to appoint a new chair, vice-chair, secretary and treasurer and a new committee will be appointed.
However, Mr Watt’s decision to stand has attracted criticism from a local business owner because he is a member of Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party.
Andrew Hart, who owns the Red Box Post Office on Starbeck High Street, told the Stray Ferret he opposed Mr Watt standing because his decisions could be influenced by his Labour affiliation.
The group’s current chair, Geoff Foxall, also has connections with the local Labour party.
Mr Hart pointed to the association’s constitution, which states one of its objectives is to be “a strong non-political community voice” that represents the views of Starbeck residents.
He said this meant active political party members should be prevented from standing for senior positions.
Read More:
He added:
“I think for the sake of transparency the Starbeck Residents’ Association needs to be dissolved tonight and hold full and proper elections in one month’s time without any political office holders standing.”
Mr Hart set up a group called Starbeck Community Group this year to debate Starbeck issues.
Mr Watt told the Stray Ferret he would not comment until after the AGM tonight.
Longstanding Harrogate restaurant set to make way for pubA longstanding Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant in Harrogate has closed and could be converted into a pub.
The Ali Raj, on Cheltenham Crescent, was the first Bangladeshi restaurant in town when it opened more than 35 years ago.
After a couple of tough years for the hospitality industry, restaurant owner Abdul Rashid, who took over the business from its original owners, decided to close.
Mr Rashid announced the news on the Ali Raj Facebook page, saying it was the “end of an era”.
The Stray Ferret tried to contact Mr Rashid for comment but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.
Read more:
Richard Park, owner of The Little Ale House, which is situated beneath the Ali Raj, has applied to Harrogate Borough Council to change the use of the building from restaurant to pub on both the first and second floors of the building.
Mr Park and his wife Danni opened The Little Ale House in 2016 to recreate a rustic country pub atmosphere in the town centre.
They have been keen to support micro breweries and encourage conversation by shunning TVs and background music.
Electrifying Harrogate’s school buses ‘has to be cost effective’Yesterday, the Stray Ferret published an investigation that found that children in Harrogate are being taken to school in diesel buses that are amongst the dirtiest and most polluting vehicles on our roads.
We discovered through a freedom of information request that 50% of these buses are over a decade old and almost 20% of these go back at least 20 years.
University of Leeds climate scientist and Harrogate resident Professor Piers Forster told the Stray Ferret that the old school buses will be having a damaging impact on children’s lungs in Harrogate.
He called on North Yorkshire County Council to electrify the school bus fleet.
The County Council’s response:
Michael Leah, assistant director for transport and the environment at NYCC, said the council is working with Transdev to bid for government funding for electric buses.
However, it is not clear how many of these buses would be used on school routes should the bid be successful.
He said:
“Bus companies are bound by regulatory compliance and as a home to school transport authority we are required to seek best value for money in securing transport provision.
“We have also set an aspiration of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 or as near to that date as possible; accordingly we work closely with our bus operators moving towards a more modern fleet.
“Indeed we are working with The Harrogate Bus Company, part of Transdev, on a scheme that – if the funding bid succeeds – would see 39 zero-emission buses delivered in Harrogate over the next three years.”
The bus companies response:
The Stray Ferret contacted the four main school bus providers in Harrogate to ask what they are doing to clean up their fleet.
Craig Temple, managing director of Connexionsbuses said because it is a family-owned business, any upgrades have to be “cost-effective”. He said none of their buses are 20 years old.
“When providing commercial school services, as ours are in Harrogate, our main priority is to provide a value for money, safe and reliable service.
“Each bus carries 70-80 pupils, and as such takes that number of cars off the road. The pollution from this number of cars would massively increase the impact on everyone’s health, and cause congestion (which further damages peoples health).
“I think most people fail to realise what the effect would be on parents through ticket prices if we were to buy much newer vehicles (or even new) at a cost of nearly £400,000 each.
“To purchase vehicles less than 10 years old would add massive costs on to the daily tickets of the children travelling, which, in turn, would no doubt lead to less travelling on the bus and more cars on the road, leading to more congestion and pollution.”
Steve Ottley, general manager of Harrogate Bus Company said some children go to school on electric buses that are part of its main network.
“We are one of 10 operators that run school buses in the district and so this survey is not a representation of our impact as an individual operator. Over 95% of our total fleet is ultra-low or zero emission, running all day and night, compared to school buses which will only run two trips a day.
“As a result of integrating the school bus network into our main network, which improves ticketing and connectivity for customers, the numbers of specific school buses have been reduced, and a third of specific school journeys are now run by electric or ultra-low emission vehicles.
“The remaining five buses are fitted with Greenroad telematics technology to limit fuel usage and idling, and we continue our programme to transform to a fully zero-emission bus operation for Harrogate in the coming years.”
Abbotts of Leeming and York Pullman did not respond.
Read more:
Schools response:
The Stray Ferret also contacted Harrogate’s four public high schools to ask if they were concerned with our findings and what they were doing to encourage cleaner buses. St Aidan’s and St John Fisher did not respond.
Helen Woodcock, the headteacher at Rossett School, said the school actively promotes cycling and walking to its students.
“Technology has moved on in the last 30 years, from a period where leaded fuel was considered acceptable, to a real focus on the need to use sustainable sources of energy for transport.
“Some of our students use the new public electric bus services to get to school and we actively promote the alternatives of cycling and walking to all parents and students. The school student council have focused on recommending other sustainable changes to school life over the years.
“We have a policy that buses directly controlled by NYCC have to enter the school site and turn off their engines whilst waiting for students.
“We look forward to changes in government policy impacting on legal limits for emissions as they move towards fulfilling the promises made in 2019, in the amendments to the Climate Change Act.”
A Harrogate Grammar School spokesperson said it provides in-house new minibuses on four school bus routes.
NYCC provides 11 bus routes to HGS and several are shared with Rossett pupils.
“Harrogate Grammar School directly manage four bus routes to and from the following destinations including the surrounding areas; Pateley Bridge, Tadcaster, Boroughbridge and Leeds.
“We no longer use external coach providers for the Leeds and Tadcaster routes, we operate these services in-house with our own Ultra Low Emission Zone compliant minibuses. Our minibuses are leased brand new and receive regular services and vehicle checks to ensure high standards are kept.
“The two remaining routes however, Pateley Bridge and Boroughbridge, are too over-populated for minibuses and so we work closely with our coach providers in ensuring the high standards of these vehicles provided. We source the most local firms with capacity to fulfil the route requirements which ensures that emissions are reduced.
“NYCC also manage school routes which combine at least 3 routes with Harrogate Grammar School and Rossett High School which we are happy to support to reduce further vehicles on the road.”
Live: Harrogate district traffic and travelGood morning and welcome back to the traffic and travel blog. It’s Connor with you this morning hoping to help you avoid any problems by road or rail.
Give me a call on 01423 276197 or get in touch on social media if you spot anything on the roads or are waiting for a delayed bus or train.
The morning blogs are brought to you by The HACS Group.
9am – Full Update
That is all from me this morning on the traffic and travel news desk. Leah will be back with you tomorrow morning from 6.30am.
The roads are looking quite busy already around Harrogate, Ripley and Knaresborough this morning. There are several construction works ongoing in the area which seem to be causing issues.
Roads where congestion is building:
- Otley Road in both directions near Harrogate. Construction of a new cycle lane is underway with temporary lights
- Wetherby Road in Harrogate is very busy in both directions
- Ripon Road near McCarthy’s Storage World, drivers struggling with temporary traffic lights
- Ripon Road between Ripley and South Stainley also looks to be quite congested this morning
- Skipton Road near Bilton is Harrogate looks busy
Road closures:
- Leeds Road, outside Marks and Spencer – lane closure
- Rossett Park Road – road closure, plus temporary lights on Leadhall Lane
- Kingsley Drive, Starbeck – road closure
- Chestnut Grove, the road rear of Chestnut Grove, and Birch Grove, Bilton – road closure
- Whiteley Yard, Knaresborough, across from The Crown Inn – road closure
- Lands Lane, Knaresborough – road closure
- A1(M) northbound entry slip and southbound exit slip at Flaxby – closure
- Copgrove Road, Burton Leonard – road closure
- Luncarr Lane, Copt Henwick – road closure
- Queen Street, Ripon – road closure
- B6265 Bishopton to Eavestone – road closure. Diversions through Ripon, Glasshouses and Ripley
- Westerns Lane, Markington – road closure
- Main Street to Tanfield Bridge, West Tanfield – road closure
Temporary lights:
- Leadhall Lane in Rossett Green
- Ripon Road in Harrogate, near McCarthy’s Storage World
- Green Lane at the junction with Rossett Avenue
- Otley Road around the junctions for Cold Bath Road and Harlow Moor Road
- Wayside Crescent just off Wetherby Road, near Harrogate Town football ground
- Hawthorne Avenue in Hookstone Chase
- Station Bridge in the town centre
- Parliament Terrace in central Harrogate, near Five Guys
- Ripon Road near Co-op petrol station
- Hollins Lane, Hampsthwaite
- Fisher Street, Knaresborough
- Thistle Hill, Knaresborough
- Blands Hill, Knaresborough
- Boroughbridge Road, near Scriven
- A59 York Road, near the Station Road junction
- Allerton Park Interchange, at the Flaxby junction of the A1(M)
- Clotherholme Road, Bishopton near Ripon
- Minster Road, Ripon, outside the cathedral
Trains
- All services from Harrogate, Leeds and Knaresborough are on schedule.
Buses
- Harrogate Bus Company is running a reduced timetable due to driver availability. The 36 bus will run every 30 mins between Harrogate & Ripon, and every 15 mins between Harrogate & Leeds.
8.30am – Full Update
The roads are looking quite busy already around Harrogate, Ripley and Knaresborough this morning. There are several construction works ongoing in the area which seem to be causing issues.
Roads where congestion is building:
- Otley Road in both directions near Harrogate. Construction of a new cycle lane is underway with temporary lights
- Wetherby Road in Harrogate is very busy in both directions
- Ripon Road near McCarthy’s Storage World, drivers struggling with temporary traffic lights
- Ripon Road between Ripley and South Stainley also looks to be quite congested this morning
- Skipton Road near Bilton is Harrogate looks busy
- Knaresborough Road between Starbeck and Harrogate has very heavy traffic
Road closures:
- Leeds Road, outside Marks and Spencer – lane closure
- Rossett Park Road – road closure, plus temporary lights on Leadhall Lane
- Kingsley Drive, Starbeck – road closure
- Chestnut Grove, the road rear of Chestnut Grove, and Birch Grove, Bilton – road closure
- Whiteley Yard, Knaresborough, across from The Crown Inn – road closure
- Lands Lane, Knaresborough – road closure
- A1(M) northbound entry slip and southbound exit slip at Flaxby – closure
- Copgrove Road, Burton Leonard – road closure
- Luncarr Lane, Copt Henwick – road closure
- Queen Street, Ripon – road closure
- B6265 Bishopton to Eavestone – road closure. Diversions through Ripon, Glasshouses and Ripley
- Westerns Lane, Markington – road closure
- Main Street to Tanfield Bridge, West Tanfield – road closure
Temporary lights:
- Leadhall Lane in Rossett Green
- Ripon Road in Harrogate, near McCarthy’s Storage World
- Green Lane at the junction with Rossett Avenue
- Otley Road around the junctions for Cold Bath Road and Harlow Moor Road
- Wayside Crescent just off Wetherby Road, near Harrogate Town football ground
- Hawthorne Avenue in Hookstone Chase
- Station Bridge in the town centre
- Parliament Terrace in central Harrogate, near Five Guys
- Ripon Road near Co-op petrol station
- Hollins Lane, Hampsthwaite
- Fisher Street, Knaresborough
- Thistle Hill, Knaresborough
- Blands Hill, Knaresborough
- Boroughbridge Road, near Scriven
- A59 York Road, near the Station Road junction
- Allerton Park Interchange, at the Flaxby junction of the A1(M)
- Clotherholme Road, Bishopton near Ripon
- Minster Road, Ripon, outside the cathedral
Trains
- All services from Harrogate, Leeds and Knaresborough are on schedule.
Buses
- Harrogate Bus Company is running a reduced timetable due to driver availability. The 36 bus will run every 30 mins between Harrogate & Ripon, and every 15 mins between Harrogate & Leeds.
8am – Full Update
The roads are looking quite busy already around Harrogate, Ripley and Knaresborough this morning. There are several construction works ongoing in the area which seem to be causing issues.
Roads where congestion is building:
- Otley Road in both directions near Harrogate. Construction of a new cycle lane is underway with temporary lights
- Wetherby Road in Harrogate is very busy in both directions
- Ripon Road near McCarthy’s Storage World, drivers struggling with temporary traffic lights
- Ripon Road between Ripley and South Stainley also looks to be quite congested this morning
- Skipton Road near Bilton is Harrogate looks busy
- Knaresborough Road between Starbeck and Harrogate has very heavy traffic
Road closures:
- Leeds Road, outside Marks and Spencer – lane closure
- Rossett Park Road – road closure, plus temporary lights on Leadhall Lane
- Kingsley Drive, Starbeck – road closure
- Chestnut Grove, the road rear of Chestnut Grove, and Birch Grove, Bilton – road closure
- Whiteley Yard, Knaresborough, across from The Crown Inn – road closure
- Lands Lane, Knaresborough – road closure
- A1(M) northbound entry slip and southbound exit slip at Flaxby – closure
- Copgrove Road, Burton Leonard – road closure
- Luncarr Lane, Copt Henwick – road closure
- Queen Street, Ripon – road closure
- B6265 Bishopton to Eavestone – road closure. Diversions through Ripon, Glasshouses and Ripley
- Westerns Lane, Markington – road closure
- Main Street to Tanfield Bridge, West Tanfield – road closure
Temporary lights:
- Leadhall Lane in Rossett Green
- Ripon Road in Harrogate, near McCarthy’s Storage World
- Green Lane at the junction with Rossett Avenue
- Otley Road around the junctions for Cold Bath Road and Harlow Moor Road
- Wayside Crescent just off Wetherby Road, near Harrogate Town football ground
- Hawthorne Avenue in Hookstone Chase
- Station Bridge in the town centre
- Parliament Terrace in central Harrogate, near Five Guys
- Ripon Road near Co-op petrol station
- Hollins Lane, Hampsthwaite
- Fisher Street, Knaresborough
- Thistle Hill, Knaresborough
- Blands Hill, Knaresborough
- Boroughbridge Road, near Scriven
- A59 York Road, near the Station Road junction
- Allerton Park Interchange, at the Flaxby junction of the A1(M)
- Clotherholme Road, Bishopton near Ripon
- Minster Road, Ripon, outside the cathedral
Trains
- All services from Harrogate, Leeds and Knaresborough are on schedule.
Buses
- Harrogate Bus Company is running a reduced timetable due to driver availability. The 36 bus will run every 30 mins between Harrogate & Ripon, and every 15 mins between Harrogate & Leeds.
7.30am – Full Update
The roads are looking quite busy already around Harrogate, Ripley and Knaresborough this morning. There are several construction works ongoing in the area which seem to be causing issues.
Roads where congestion is building:
- Otley Road in both directions near Harrogate. Construction of a new cycle lane is underway with temporary lights
- Wetherby Road in Harrogate is very busy in both directions
- Ripon Road near McCarthy’s Storage World, drivers struggling with temporary traffic lights
- Skipton Road near Bilton is Harrogate also looks busy
Road closures:
- Leeds Road, outside Marks and Spencer – lane closure
- Rossett Park Road – road closure, plus temporary lights on Leadhall Lane
- Kingsley Drive, Starbeck – road closure
- Chestnut Grove, the road rear of Chestnut Grove, and Birch Grove, Bilton – road closure
- Whiteley Yard, Knaresborough, across from The Crown Inn – road closure
- Lands Lane, Knaresborough – road closure
- A1(M) northbound entry slip and southbound exit slip at Flaxby – closure
- Copgrove Road, Burton Leonard – road closure
- Luncarr Lane, Copt Henwick – road closure
- Queen Street, Ripon – road closure
- B6265 Bishopton to Eavestone – road closure. Diversions through Ripon, Glasshouses and Ripley
- Westerns Lane, Markington – road closure
- Main Street to Tanfield Bridge, West Tanfield – road closure
Temporary lights:
- Leadhall Lane in Rossett Green
- Ripon Road in Harrogate, near McCarthy’s Storage World
- Green Lane at the junction with Rossett Avenue
- Otley Road around the junctions for Cold Bath Road and Harlow Moor Road
- Wayside Crescent just off Wetherby Road, near Harrogate Town football ground
- Hawthorne Avenue in Hookstone Chase
- Station Bridge in the town centre
- Parliament Terrace in central Harrogate, near Five Guys
- Ripon Road near Co-op petrol station
- Hollins Lane, Hampsthwaite
- Fisher Street, Knaresborough
- Thistle Hill, Knaresborough
- Blands Hill, Knaresborough
- Boroughbridge Road, near Scriven
- A59 York Road, near the Station Road junction
- Allerton Park Interchange, at the Flaxby junction of the A1(M)
- Clotherholme Road, Bishopton near Ripon
- Minster Road, Ripon, outside the cathedral
Trains
- All services from Harrogate, Leeds and Knaresborough are on schedule.
Buses
- Harrogate Bus Company is running a reduced timetable due to driver availability. The 36 bus will run every 30 mins between Harrogate & Ripon, and every 15 mins between Harrogate & Leeds.
7am – Full Update
Roads
Otley Road is likely to be particularly busy as work has started on a new cycle route near Harlow Moor Road.
Road closures:
- Leeds Road, outside Marks and Spencer – lane closure
- Rossett Park Road – road closure, plus temporary lights on Leadhall Lane
- Kingsley Drive, Starbeck – road closure
- Chestnut Grove, the road rear of Chestnut Grove, and Birch Grove, Bilton – road closure
- Whiteley Yard, Knaresborough, across from The Crown Inn – road closure
- Lands Lane, Knaresborough – road closure
- A1(M) northbound entry slip and southbound exit slip at Flaxby – closure
- Copgrove Road, Burton Leonard – road closure
- Luncarr Lane, Copt Henwick – road closure
- Queen Street, Ripon – road closure
- B6265 Bishopton to Eavestone – road closure. Diversions through Ripon, Glasshouses and Ripley
- Westerns Lane, Markington – road closure
- Main Street to Tanfield Bridge, West Tanfield – road closure
Temporary lights:
- Leadhall Lane in Rossett Green
- Ripon Road in Harrogate, near McCarthy’s Storage World
- Green Lane at the junction with Rossett Avenue
- Otley Road around the junctions for Cold Bath Road and Harlow Moor Road
- Wayside Crescent just off Wetherby Road, near Harrogate Town football ground
- Hawthorne Avenue in Hookstone Chase
- Station Bridge in the town centre
- Parliament Terrace in central Harrogate, near Five Guys
- Ripon Road near Co-op petrol station
- Hollins Lane, Hampsthwaite
- Fisher Street, Knaresborough
- Thistle Hill, Knaresborough
- Blands Hill, Knaresborough
- Boroughbridge Road, near Scriven
- A59 York Road, near the Station Road junction
- Allerton Park Interchange, at the Flaxby junction of the A1(M)
- Clotherholme Road, Bishopton near Ripon
- Minster Road, Ripon, outside the cathedral
Trains
- All services from Harrogate, Leeds and Knaresborough are on schedule.
Buses
- Harrogate Bus Company is running a reduced timetable due to driver availability. The 36 bus will run every 30 mins between Harrogate & Ripon, and every 15 mins between Harrogate & Leeds.
6:30am – Full Update
Roads
Otley Road is likely to be particularly busy as work has started on a new cycle route near Harlow Moor Road.
Road closures:
- Leeds Road, outside Marks and Spencer – lane closure
- Rossett Park Road – road closure, plus temporary lights on Leadhall Lane
- Kingsley Drive, Starbeck – road closure
- Chestnut Grove, the road rear of Chestnut Grove, and Birch Grove, Bilton – road closure
- Whiteley Yard, Knaresborough, across from The Crown Inn – road closure
- Lands Lane, Knaresborough – road closure
- A1(M) northbound entry slip and southbound exit slip at Flaxby – closure
- Copgrove Road, Burton Leonard – road closure
- Luncarr Lane, Copt Henwick – road closure from 08:00
- Queen Street, Ripon – road closure
- B6265 Bishopton to Eavestone – road closure. Diversions through Ripon, Glasshouses and Ripley
- Westerns Lane, Markington – road closure
- Main Street to Tanfield Bridge, West Tanfield – road closure
Temporary lights:
- Leadhall Lane in Rossett Green
- Ripon Road in Harrogate, near McCarthy’s Storage World
- Green Lane at the junction with Rossett Avenue
- Otley Road around the junctions for Cold Bath Road and Harlow Moor Road
- Wayside Crescent just off Wetherby Road, near Harrogate Town football ground
- Hawthorne Avenue in Hookstone Chase
- Station Bridge in the town centre
- Parliament Terrace in central Harrogate, near Five Guys
- Ripon Road near Co-op petrol station
- Hollins Lane, Hampsthwaite
- Fisher Street, Knaresborough
- Thistle Hill, Knaresborough
- Blands Hill, Knaresborough
- Boroughbridge Road, near Scriven
- A59 York Road, near the Station Road junction
- Allerton Park Interchange, at the Flaxby junction of the A1(M)
- Clotherholme Road, Bishopton near Ripon
- Minster Road, Ripon, outside the cathedral
Trains
- All services from Harrogate, Leeds and Knaresborough are on schedule.
Buses
- Harrogate Bus Company is running a reduced timetable due to driver availability. The 36 bus will run every 30 mins between Harrogate & Ripon, and every 15 mins between Harrogate & Leeds.