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. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

‘Harrogate’s Otley Road cycleway has cost £2.2m so far’. If this headline is correct, and the figure seems to be confirmed in the details in the article, then this is a scandalous use of taxpayer money.

Do we really have a partly finished and largely dysfunctional cycle track, which is avoided by most cyclists, at such outrageous cost? And how is this supposed to support ‘National Productivity’ which is the name of the the fund from which the money was drawn, even if it was completely operational, which it isn’t?

And why has the lion’s share of the cost gone to surveys, reports and studies rather than work on the ground?

I do hope that I have misunderstood the figures, but I fear I haven’t. Maybe someone in authority from the County Council can explain how we got into this fix.

Tim Hurren, Harlow Hill, Harrogate

Solution to Ripon Cathedral plans

At a recent council meeting at Ripon town hall, the subject of the planned annex for Ripon Cathedral was the major item under discussion. I was dismayed to see the reaction and the split within the Ripon community over the proposed siting of the building.

With that in mind, I would like to offer a solution that should benefit all parties, one that would allow for the business expansion aspirations of the cathedral and the preservation of a much-loved green space.

My suggestion would be to use the buildings to the right of the cathedral, being Minster House, the old coach house complex and another building. As this is already cathedral property, the saving financially to the cathedral would be huge as there would be no need to purchase any land.

The buildings in question are closer to the cathedral than the proposed annex on the other side of Minster Road and there is safe and level access. There would be no crossing of the public highway to access these facilities.

I estimate that the floor space of the three buildings in question is 939m² which falls just short of the 1000m/2 that the cathedral requires. But I believe that this could be regained with use of the car parking area or the extensive gardens.

My idea is:

1.     The ground floor of Minster House be used for the retail outlet and the refectory

2.     The 1^st floor be used for the song school with the installation of a lift for the disabled choristers

3.     The stable block to be used as the toilet block and changing area

4.     The other building to be used as storage and meeting rooms

Other combinations are possible.

This then would negate the need to destroy the green space.

I hope you agree with this possible solution and I ask that the cathedral re-submit plans.

Kevin Hill, Ripon

• Confirmed: second phase of Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route scrapped
• Civic society calls for re-think on Ripon Cathedral plan
• City council support the principle of Ripon Cathedral development

The second phase of Harrogate’s Otley Road cycleway looks set to be scrapped in the face of continued hostility towards the scheme.

The results of a consultation on options for phase two of the project are due to be released within days.

But Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transportation at North Yorkshire County Council,  said none of the three options put forward had been well received and he was asking “serious questions” about whether to proceed. He said:

“None of the options have found significant favour with members of the public, including pedestrians and cyclists – the exact people this infrastructure is supposed to benefit. That for me is quite striking.

“If we’ve got pedestrians and cyclists, who are supposed to be the intended users of this infrastructure, saying to us ‘please think again’ that does not fill me with reassurance that we are looking at this in the right way so I’m very reluctant for us to repeat some of the issues that have arisen in phase one again with phase two.”

Phase one of the scheme, between Harlow Moor Road and Cold Bath Road, finished a year ago. The value of the contract was £827,000.

Some of the cycle path is shared with pedestrians.

It was widely criticised for the way the cycle path zigzags between the highway and shared paths with pedestrians. Rene Dziabas, chairman of Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association, described it as like “crazy golf construction”.

Read more:

• ‘Nightmare’ and ‘flawed’: Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path under further fire
• Bid to permanently close Harrogate road to through traffic

Cllr Duncan said phase two would face the same challenges: the road’s narrow width, protected trees and Stray land and therefore would not be fully segregated or compliant with current government recommendations for cycle infrastructure design.

However, there is still a chance the third phase, leading up to Cardale Park, could proceed.

He said:

“We get hit over the head all the time for schemes that are not compliant. This isn’t. So I want to look seriously at ‘have we looked at this in the round and is there any alternative option that we might need to look at?’. Is this going to achieve the benefits for active travel which it is intended to?

“I am more than prepared for us to deliver active travel schemes in the face of opposition. They are never going to be universally popular.

“But what I’m not prepared to do is to deliver an active travel scheme for the sake of delivering an active travel scheme, that the intended beneficiaries — walkers and cyclists — are saying to me, ‘please think again, this doesn’t make sense and we are not going to use it’.”

Was it a mistake to start?

Asked whether the scheme, which dates back well before Cllr Duncan took up his post last year, was a mistake, he replied:

“I don’t know all the various considerations that went into the proposals. Where things maybe went wrong is that we tried to get the mixture of segregated where we could and shared use where that wasn’t possible. That has led to quite a disjointed cycle route.

“I’m reflecting on that feedback and certainly where there have been problems – and it’s fair to say problems have been created with phase one – I would not want on my watch to repeat those same mistakes.”

Cllr Duncan said funding for the scheme was secured from the government’s National Productivity Investment Fund, which has to be spent on easing congestion in western Harrogate rather than specifically on cycle schemes and if the Otley Road project does not go ahead it would continue to be used for this purpose.

Tomorrow Keane Duncan gives an update on the Harrogate Station Gateway and on Saturday we will publish a full interview in which he talks about Harrogate district transport schemes.

A revised start date for works on the next stage of Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path is set to be revealed this week as parts of the existing route will also be rebuilt following safety concerns.

After securing funding five years ago, North Yorkshire County Council has come under sustained criticism for slow progress on the project which is seen as key to the town’s transport future.

Residents recently slammed the first stage of the cycle path as a “nightmare” and like “crazy golf construction” – and now more remedial works are planned for parts of the route which opened earlier this year.

The council said this will involve the resurfacing of some junctions, including one at Harlow Moor Road which will also be widened after being described as “unsafe” by campaigners.

This comes after a latest safety audit was carried out on the first stage, although a report with the full details has yet to be released by the council.

It said in a statement that proposals to address safety concerns will be revealed this week when it will also make an announcement on when stage two will begin.

However, this new start date could still be several months away as a consultation on the final designs is expected first.

Read More:

• ‘Nightmare’ and ‘flawed’: Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path under further fire
• Stray Views: Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path benefits neither walkers nor cyclists

Previously, the council said the stage two works would start in May or June this year, and then after further setbacks it gave a more vague target of autumn.

On the stage one works, it has now said:

“A number of remedial works are already complete or programmed to be complete in the coming months.

“Therefore, we will carry out the remaining remedial work such as resurfacing at the junctions following this.

“Widening of the route at Harlow Moor Road junction will be complete as soon as necessary third land becomes available.”

A total of £1.6 million has so far been spent on design, construction and utility costs for the project.

This is made up of £1.04 million on stage one and £559,182 on stage two for which a start date will soon be revealed.

Residents of the Harlow Hill and Pannal Ash areas of Harrogate will gather tomorrow night to discuss the issues they face as a community.

From housing developments and cycle lanes to the upcoming reorganisation of local government in North Yorkshire, Harlow and Pannal Ash Residents’ Association (HAPARA) has a busy agenda for its AGM.

Chairman Rene Dziabas said the long-delayed West Harrogate Parameters Plan – setting out a plan for infrastructure to support thousands of new homes in the area – was likely to be among the topics generating the most interest.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“We still have over-riding concerns about the infrastructure for these successive developments – public transport, paths, cycle paths, hospitals, schools.

“We work with a number of parish councils and they hold similar views to us.”

This will be the first time HAPARA has held an in-person AGM since 2019, thanks to the covid pandemic. In the intervening three years, many new households have arrived in the area, and the group is keen to welcome them alongside long-standing residents.

Though it encourages people to sign up as members, anyone can go along to the AGM and, unlike a parish council, it has no defined geographical boundary, so is open to anyone who wants to join.

Read more:

• Contractor for Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route to be appointed in autumn
• Council approves long-awaited West Harrogate Parameters Plan

As well as the changes that have taken place in the area in recent years, the group will look at what is ahead for local residents.

While phase one of the Otley Road cycle path has been largely completed, and phase two is scheduled to begin “shortly”, according to North Yorkshire County Council, phase three – from Harlow Moor Road to Cardale Park – remains contentious among residents, according to a survey of residents by HAPARA this year.

Mr Dziabas said he hoped the new North Yorkshire Council would keep to its word of engaging added:

“We are also trying to introduce some local issues. A couple of residents are doing a presentation on low traffic neighbourhoods.

“If we can get something like that, an idea from grass roots, and if we can make the beginnings of something, that would be nice.

“Money is going to be tight and there is going to be less money around over the next few years than there is now.

“If you engage with local organisations, the people you are engaging with are doing it for free and there’s a lot of knowledge and a lot of professional people in those organisations. If you keep an open mind, you can tap into it.’

The HAPARA AGM takes place at Harlow Community Centre (The Green Hut) on Harlow Avenue on Wednesday, October 12 from 7pm. The full agenda is available here.

Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents’ Association (Hapara) could launch a petition that asks North Yorkshire County Council to reconsider the next phases of the Otley Road cycle path.

The first phase was completed, save for some remedial works, earlier this year and runs from Harlow Moor Road to Arthur’s Avenue.

It has been welcomed by some as a long-overdue investment into the town’s cycling infrastructure, but for others, its execution has been poor.

There has been widespread criticism over the design of phase 1, which weaves on and off a pavement that is partly shared with pedestrians.

In its latest newsletter published this week, Hapara poured scorn on NYCC’s claim that the cycle path will reduce motor traffic and said there is little prospect of it being used by more cyclists due to its design.

It added:

“We have already seen that phase 1 has the effect of reducing pedestrian facilities, whilst at the same time Otley Road is as busy as ever with traffic.”

The newsletter says consultation with residents and businesses has so far been a “token” gesture with those affected by the route “not allowed their voice” in the development of the scheme.

It asks residents if it supports Hapara gathering a petition that asks the council to “reconsider the whole approach to this cycle path” and undertake a “proper consultation”.

‘Needs to be completed’

Phase 2 will continue the path towards Beech Grove and plans for how it will look were published along with phase 1 in 2019.

The plans show one tree will be felled below Victoria Road and some grass verges down both sides of Otley Road will be tarmaced over to make way for the cycle path. Like phase 1, the path will be shared with pedestrians.

NYCC previously said work on phase 2 would begin in spring 2022, which has now been pushed back until this summer.

Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said he disagreed with Hapara that another round of consultation was needed.

He said this will slow down the progress of the route which “needs to be completed at the earliest opportunity”.

Mr Douglas said work to complete phase 1 hasn’t been finished due to “poor project management” by the council, which has put some cyclists from using the £2m route.

He added:

“The initial concept was awarded funds for a single scheme from Cardale Park to the Prince of Wales roundabout. If that had been done it would have made a greater impact in encouraging new cyclists due to it being a safe environment.

“We would urge Hapara to lobby NYCC to progress all remedial works on Phase 1 and deliver the remaining phases to the government standards so the work on getting people out of their cars for short journeys (school, town etc) can be promoted.

“A further consultation will add nothing other than further delays and with the proposed housing developments that will increase the pressure on Otley Road.”

Read more:

• Fears for trees in next Otley Road cycle path phase
• Calls to reduce ‘plethora’ of Otley Road cycle path signs

Walking the route

Liberal Democrat councillor for Harlow & St Georges, Michael Schofield was elected in May.

His day job is landlord of the Shepherd’s Dog pub, where the cycle path will eventually go past if phase 3 ever sees the light of day.

Cllr Michael Schofield

Last Thursday, Cllr Schofield invited Conservative cabinet member for highways, Cllr Keane Duncan, to walk phase 1 with him so he could voice his concerns.

In May, Cllr Duncan took over the highways brief from the retiring Don Mackenzie, who for many had been the public face of the Otley Road cycle path.

Cllr Schofield said:

“I was lucky enough that Cllr Duncan accepted my invite to walk the current cycle path with me to see the issues. I feel it was a positive meeting because he saw for himself some of the issues residents have raised with myself such as having a speeding cyclist whizz past us, to seeing the disjointed layout of the route and the anxieties of vulnerable residents on Swinton Court.

“I hope he takes this away to evaluate before pushing the plan for Phase 2 and 3.”

Council’s response.

Melisa Burnham

Responding to Hapara, Melisa Burnham, highways area manager at NYCC, said:

“Three representatives of Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents Association attended our recent stakeholder meeting in May and we have offered a separate meeting and walkthrough.

“We paused phase 2 to undertake this event, where we consulted stakeholders on the details of phase 2. We will be carrying out further consultation for phase 3 when we have detailed designs.

“Their concerns will be considered in the final safety audit of the route in July. We acknowledge the required improvements at the Harlow Moor Road junction, which will be addressed as soon as we have access to the third party land. We continue to listen to their views which will shape our plans going forward.”

Fears have been raised that work to build the next phase of the Otley Road cycle path in Harrogate will cause permanent damage to mature trees.

A meeting about the cycle path was held last night at Harrogate Grammar School between North Yorkshire County Council officers and local groups, including Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents Association, Zero Carbon Harrogate, The Stray Defence Association and Harrogate District Cycle Action.

The first section between Harlow Moor Road and Arthur’s Avenue was completed in January.

Work on the next phase from Arthur’s Avenue to Beech Grove have been earmarked to begin in autumn.

Yesterday’s two-hour meeting was not open to the media but we spoke today to some of the people that attended.

‘Can’t afford to lose the trees’

Plans for phase one and phase two of the cycle path were first published in 2019.

Officers delivered a presentation on the plans for phase two last night, which remain largely the same as the 2019 proposals.

These show one tree will be felled below Victoria Road and some grass verges down both sides of Otley Road will be tarmacked over to make way for the cycle path, which will be shared with pedestrians and built close to two rows of large trees.

The trees and verges on Otley Road are technically part of Stray land. Last year Harrogate Borough Council agreed a land swap with a section of grass on Wetherby Road so the cycle path could proceed.

Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association, called the first section of cycle path on Otley Road, which has been widely criticised for its design, “a dog’s dinner”.

She said the 100-year-old trees on Otley Road were vital for absorbing water during heavy rainfall, adding:

“I’ve sought repeated assurances they will not create any damage to the trees. Those trees are on Stray land. They are protected by the law and they are a huge environmental asset to the town. We can’t afford to lose the trees.”

‘Pure scaremongering’

Malcolm Margolis, a Harrogate District Cycle Action member, said he needed more time to study the plans but any suggestion workers would damage trees on Otley Road was “pure scaremongering”.

He said:

“It is regrettable if a tree has to be lost, if this is unavoidable as part of a high quality cycle path. No doubt it will be replaced with new saplings nearby. We have previously asked North Yorkshire County Council to consider a 20mph speed limit and narrowing the carriageway, which might avoid tree loss.

“The suggestion that more may be lost if workers dig into the roots is pure scaremongering. Similar suggestions were made about phase 1 but the only trees that went were those in the plans, and almost all of those were for changes to Harlow Moor Road, which were purely to benefit drivers, not cyclists or pedestrians.”

Read more:

• Calls to reduce ‘plethora’ of Otley Road cycle path signs
• Next phase of Otley Road cycle path delayed and reviewed

‘Preserve beauty of town’

Otley Road resident Chris Dicken has been an outspoken critic of the scheme since it was first proposed several years ago. He said “there’s no doubt Otley Road will be spoiled” by its next phase.

“It will change the ambience. It’s a very nice tree-lined boulevard.

“Trees have roots that go everywhere. How do you make sure they don’t damage those trees for the future? It won’t show up immediately but it could affect the trees. How do you get around that?”

Michael Schofield, the newly elected Liberal Democrat county councillor for Harlow & St Georges, said the council needed to ensure no trees are damaged:

“The last thing we want is for someone to be doing work and to accidentally dig into the roots. Those trees do take up a lot of water. They help that.

“The trees give Harrogate an identity. It’s one of the reasons people come to visit. We need to preserve the beauty of town.”

Government guidelines

New government guidance on cycle lanes in July 2020 said any new infrastructure should be “high quality, with a strong preference for segregated lanes”.

It warned against councils building routes that require a lot of stopping and starting from cyclists.

But the guidance was introduced after the designs for phase one and phase two were published, so it doe snot apply to these sections.

The Stray Ferret was offered an interview with Melisa Burnham, NYCC highways area manager. But today the offer was retracted.

Instead it issued the following statement from Ms Burnham

 “As part of our planning for Phase Two of the Otley Road cycle route we invited a range of stakeholder groups from across Harrogate to contribute their views and ideas on the project.

“They included the Ramblers Association, the Youth Parliament, Civic Society, residents associations, Stray Defence and the Cycle Action group. North Yorkshire councillors who represent the area also attended and the event resulted in positive and constructive discussions between group members and officers responsible for designing the scheme.

“County Council officers, alongside Harrogate Borough Council colleagues, explained the role Otley Road will play in creating a sustainable transport corridor, which will help provide residents with better choices for their travel needs.

“We also took the opportunity to update attendees of Phase One progress and the outstanding remedial work, including resurfacing, signage relocation and lining. This will be complete in June. Advanced notification will be sent to the residents indicating a confirmed start date.

“The design for Phase Two has not changed significantly since the first engagement in 2019 but we wanted to take this opportunity to discuss this again in person with the groups present.

“Key themes which emerged included the need to consider all sustainable transport users (cyclists, walkers and buses) of the routes and a recognition of the competing priorities of all users, the impact on the surrounding area, trees and Stray. We will ensure contractors are aware of the need to protect trees through the use of appropriate working methods.

“Some present raised concerns around communications for the Phase One delivery and they have been taken on board. Work on Phase One took place during the Covid-19 restrictions, which meant at times programmes moved at an unexpected pace.

“We also took the opportunity to share the Phase Three feasibility study, but this is not at a detailed design stage and further consultation will take place as that develops. Issues around the segregation of pedestrians and cyclists, set against the availability of land, have yet to be addressed.

“We hope that this meeting provided a positive start to addressing the communication concerns and a ‘meet the contractors’ event will follow in early autumn, before Phase Two works commence.”

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. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Boroughbridge Road Blues

I’d like to raise some issues about the impact of traffic on Boroughbridge Road, here in Knaresborough.

I am a resident and very concerned about the impact of heavy vehicles and speeding traffic. Vehicles regularly exceed the speed limit and the size of some vehicles using the road means walking on the pavement is not a great experience and our house regularly shakes as vehicles pass.

I’ve raised these concerns with the highways authority, the police commissioner and my local Harrogate councillors.

I’ve suggested among other things: bigger speed signs, vehicle activated signs, repeater signs, more road markings and a review of weight limits.

It’s fair to say I haven’t made much progress with the the bodies responsible for traffic and speeding. The county council and the police both mainly referred me to the other body. The county council didn’t respond to the weight limit issue.

I appreciate resources are limited but I think it’s high time something was done to address a blight on the lives of our community. My suggestions wouldn’t cost a great deal, especially when considered against the cost of the negative impact the current situation has on peoples’ well being.

I see also it’s recently been an issue in the election material we’re getting through the door, so maybe now is the time to apply pressure on prospective candidates in the forthcoming elections and demand some clear commitments on what they would do in the new council.

All that’s in the future though, what I’d really like to see is some action now!

Ian Brown, Knaresborough

Read more:

• ‘Do you need to wait until somebody is killed by a speeding car?’
• Next phase of Otley Road cycle path delayed and reviewed

Council got it wrong with Otley Road cycle path

It seems North Yorkshire County Council has got it wrong again with the Otley Road cycle path. Cycle paths and pedestrians should be kept separate! Also spending millions for a minority is ridiculous. I am sure if council tax payers had been asked, it would have been a resounding no.

This is the second time they have made a mess of Otley Road. Several years ago they decided to put bollards in the centre of the road. The result was that buses and lorries were unable to pass.

Another moronic idea was when they changed the road priority in Burn Bridge so that vehicles coming from the left had right of way.

Howard Angel, Harrogate

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. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Otley Road cycle path benefits nobody

There has been much debate concerning cycle paths in Harrogate with Otley Road being the prime example.

It has been known from the outset that this was not a segregated path like in European cities, rather mainly just shared pavement. However some people are only just realising this.

At side roads there is some segregated cycle path, with the cars set back, blocking the pedestrians who wish to cross. A bus shelter removed, grass removed, more tarmac with 36 new metal signs and 32 painted white cycles on the tarmac over 600m of highway. An attractive entrance into Harrogate now full of street furniture.

At Harlow Moor Road, the grass has gone, trees felled (mainly but not solely for the road users) and the pavement much narrowed, but no decrease in traffic. The junction is much worse for pedestrians, squeezed up next to the road, no grass verge between car and pedestrian.

Government guidelines for good cycle infrastructure design say:

“Cycles must be treated as vehicles and not as pedestrians. On urban streets, cyclists must be physically separated from pedestrians and should not share space with pedestrians”.

The Otley Road cycle path totally disregards this and other aspects of the guidelines. This cycle path is sub-standard; it benefits no-one, not cyclists, not pedestrians, not residents, anything but an example of good design.

I have been criticised by cycling lobbyists for advocating infrastructure that meets modern standards. Being an Otley Road resident, I observe at first hand, much more than the cycling groups or North Yorkshire County Council in Northallerton, what happens on this road. I have much more contact with local residents; the overwhelming opinion, regarding what has happened to our local environment is not favourable.

Everything done by NYCC penalises pedestrians. Pedestrians do not like sharing pavements with cycles passing close by, often unheard. Segregated cycle paths, benefit both the cyclist and the pedestrian. So for a better sustainable transport system, we need much more involvement of local people and wider engagement – why does NYCC exclude residents?

We need this involvement to be fair to all and to get some consensus into this subject. We need to involve other means of transport, e.g. improvements in bus services, park and ride, improvements for pedestrians.

The nature of the existing built environment and maintaining a green environment in a floral town needs to be taken into account too. I fear otherwise Harrogate will only be changed for the worse not the better.

Chris Dicken, Otley Road, Harrogate

Read more:

• Cycling group to meet council to raise concerns about Otley Road cycle path
• Decision delayed on £13m Knaresborough Leisure Centre after residents not invited to speak at meeting
• Ghosthunting with a paranormal investigator on the Stray

Many people in Knaresborough welcome the new pool

Can I just offer an opinion on the contribution entitled ‘Harrogate is riding roughshod over Knaresborough with this unwanted new pool’

As a resident of Knaresborough, can I just say this certainly doesn’t reflect my views so please don’t let this person suggest they speak on my behalf.

I think the new centre is a brilliant idea. We need to get provision into the 21st century. So if this person still wants to wallow in the past, great, but don’t drag the rest of us down with them !

Ian Brown, Knaresborough

Ghosts on the Stray

Me and my husband saw a cult like gathering on The Stray playing bongo drums in the corner where the stone shelter is. It was so creepy and now we have seen that someone else thinks that The Stray is haunted we have come forward.

Carol Moore, Harrogate

Nothing generated more debate on the Stray Ferret’s social media this year than schemes to promote cycling in and around Harrogate.

There was the Otley Road cycle path, Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood, plans to make Oatlands Drive one-way to vehicles and funding for cycle schemes on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate and Harrogate Road in Knaresborough.

But the £10.9 million Station Gateway scheme proved the most controversial of all.

Gateway: petitions and legal threats 

The scheme aims to transform the gateway to the town near the bus and train stations by reducing traffic on part of Station Parade to single lane and part pedestrianising James Street while encouraging cycling and walking.

How James Street would look.

With funding for the initiative secured from national government, North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council, which both support the scheme, ran two public consultations this year.

Both revealed a deeply divided town: some welcomed the opportunity to create a greener town by encouraging cycling and reducing car use; others felt the scheme would merely move traffic off the A61 Cheltenham Crescent and onto nearby residential streets, cause delays on Station Parade and damage town centre businesses.

Matters came to a head at a feisty Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting in February when pro-gateway representatives, led by Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, gave a presentation to a sceptical audience.

Don Mackenzie speaking at the chamber meeting.

It ended with businesses threatening to mount a judicial review to halt the process.

The results of the second consultation, published this month, revealed that of 1,320 replies to an online survey, 55% felt negatively, 39% positively and five per cent neutral towards the scheme. One per cent said they didn’t know.

A consultation event in Victoria Shopping Centre.

The chamber has called for the scheme to be halted and two residents groups have filed petitions opposing the project in its current form.

The county council is expected to decide next month whether to proceed with the scheme but the early indications are it will press ahead with final designs in the hope that work will start in spring.

Read more:

• New data reveals dramatic impact of Beech Grove closure on nearby roads
• Majority are negative towards Harrogate Station Gateway, consultation reveals
• ‘Severe weather’ delays Otley Road cycle path in Harrogate
• Victoria Road one-way scheme will stop ‘rat run’, says cycle group

Beech Grove: barriers and cuts across the Stray

North Yorkshire County Council’s decision to ban through traffic on Beech Grove caught many people by surprise in February.

The move aimed to link Beech Grove with the forthcoming Otley Road cycle path and the proposed Victoria Avenue cycling improvements, creating a more connected cycling route around Harrogate.

Tyre tracks on the Stray next to the planters on Beech Grove.

Planters blocking traffic were initially introduced on a six-month trial basis in February but this was extended to 18 months, meaning a decision on whether to extend the scheme will be due after August 2022.

Some vehicles on Beech Grove initially flouted the law by driving on Stray land to bypass the planters.

Data obtained by the Stray Ferret this month following a freedom of information request to the council revealed the move has so far had little impact on cycling journeys on Beech Grove.

It has, however, had a considerable impact on traffic on nearby streets Victoria Road and Queens Road. But the council claims the data reveals there is “no evidence” to support claims that traffic has increased on Cold Bath Road.

Malcolm Margolis on Beech Grove

Harrogate cycling campaigner Malcolm Margolis conducted his own survey, which produced higher figures for cyclists. He claimed it proved the initiative was working well.

The issue looks set to rumble on throughout the year until a decision is made on whether to continue the experiment after August.

Otley Road: work finally begins

Work finally began on the much-delayed cycle path in winter when phase one of the project, from Harlow Moor Road to Arthur’s Avenue, got underway.

North Yorkshire County Council hopes the path will improve safety and alleviate congestion along the Otley Road corridor.

Phase one work gets underway.

Phase one was due to finish before Christmas but the council blamed ‘severe weather’ for another delay and said work should now finish in January.

Phase two, from Harlow Moor Road to Beech Grove, is due to start in March.

It is unclear when phase three, from Harlow Moor Road to Cardale Park, will start. That stretch of the cycle lane relies on developer funding from housing built in the west of Harrogate.

The county council is currently working on various plans, including a feasibility study, for phase three.

Oatlands Drive plans scrapped

North Yorkshire County Council announced in February it had received £1m from the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund for four schemes to improve the infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.

Three of the schemes were for the Harrogate district. They were: the A59 Harrogate Road, Knaresborough, between Badger Mount and Maple Close; Oatlands Drive, Harrogate between Hookstone Road and Knaresborough Road and Victoria Avenue, between the A61 and Station Parade.

The projects for Knaresborough and Victoria Avenue are still due to proceed.

But plans to make Oatlands one-way to traffic and improve the narrow cycle lanes were shelved after 57% of consultation respondents opposed the proposal. They cited the impact on school buses and the creation of a ‘rat run’ on surrounding residential streets at peak times.

Oatlands Drive, Harrogate.

Subsequent traffic proposals for the saints area were also dropped after opposition.

The council said it would commission an Oatlands constituency feasibility study’ to “re-assess opportunities” for infrastructure improvements but so far nothing has been forthcoming.

Traffic continues to park in the cycle lanes on Oatlands Drive. Harrogate Borough Council introduced signs urging motorists not to do it but they appear to have had little impact.

One of the signs on the Stray alongside Oatlands Drive.

The owner of IXP Security on Otley Road in Harrogate has said he is “fuming” about prolonged works to build the new Otley Road cycle path, which he believes has put customers off visiting his store.

Work has continued throughout November and December to build the first phase of the new cycle route between Harlow Moor Road and Cold Bath Road, which is part of a package of sustainable transport measures in the west of Harrogate. It is due to end this week.

The security store has been on Otley Road for 50 years and sells safes, intruder alarms, locks and CCTV systems.

Owner Marcus Wayman said footfall has evaporated since work began and he has been unimpressed with the “etiquette” of contractors working on the scheme.

“We’ve been subjected to a significant period of time where we’ve been disadvantaged. I can’t get access to my front door all the time. Whilst I bow to the skill of road builders, their ability to follow etiquette is limited.

“They have travelled across our shop’s apron with great big heavy trucks. That concrete footpath has survived 50 years, it’s all smashed up now.

“I’m fuming about it. Stuff has been strewn all over my apron. I move safes in and out of the showroom, which I can no longer do.”

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To accommodate the cycle path, a bus stop has been moved closer to Mr Wayman’s shop.

He believes this could be hazardous for pedestrians who might have to dodge out of the way of cyclists. He has complained to North Yorkshire County Council but said he has been ignored.

He added:

“NYCC are servants to the voters in this town who pay their wages, but they are absolutely incapable of being talked to. They seemingly refuse to get back to you quickly.

“There aren’t many businesses as old as us in the locality, is this the way to treat people? Where has the courtesy gone in life?

“From start to finish I have had a gripe against the whole scheme, there’s no democracy.”

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager at NYCC, said:

“Feedback from residents and businesses is very important to us and can help shape the delivery of this and future schemes. We will liaise with the business owner and identify how best we can support him whilst the works continue on Otley Road.

“We appreciate works of this nature have an impact on the local community and we would like to extend our thanks for their ongoing patience.”