Here is this morning’s update on traffic and travel across the Harrogate district.
Spotted anything else? Email us the details and we’ll add it below to help others get around this morning.
The long-term gas works on Crescent Road In Harrogate town centre are due to be paused this week.
Motorists are still unable to turn left at the Parliament Street junction and traffic coming the opposite way on Ripon Road is unable to turn right but by next week the restrictions should have ended.
Roadworks near the Harrogate Town ground on Wetherby Road in Harrogate are due to end today.
According to North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, two sets of traffic lights will be active on Skipton Road, between the Empress roundabout and King’s Road.
The top of Woodfield Road is also closed to traffic leaving Skipton Road, though open to vehicles leaving Woodfield onto Skipton Road. Those works are scheduled to end today.
Kingsley Drive remains closed between Birstwith Road and Rydal Road until November 6. There are also temporary traffic lights on Kingsley Road while work continues to create an access road to the new housing development.
Traffic lights on the A59 York Road near the junction with the A658 in Knaresborough are due to remain in place until November 11.
Yorkshire Water has installed four-way traffic lights as it lays a new water main for a housing development.
Kirkgate Road in central Knaresborough is closed today for works to the kerbs.
Several sets of two-way traffic lights are in place along the A6055 Boroughbridge Road between Knaresborough and Minskip.
Branton Lane in Great Ouseburn is closed until next Friday while Yorkshire Water lays a new main.
In Ripon, roadworks are due to conclude on Heckler Lane and New Road today.
Stumps Lane in Darley is closed for another week for a sewer to be connected.
Work to reconstruct the landslip-hit B6265 at Red Brae Bank, Bewerley, near Pateley Bridge, is ongoing.
The road is closed and a diversion is in place via Pateley Bridge, the B6451 Dacre, Menwith Hill Road, Duck Street and Greenhow Hill village. Temporary traffic lights will be in place during the remainder of the work.
Fell Beck Bridge remains closed for works until November 6, with a diversion in place via Burnt Yates and Summerbridge.
Rail operator Northern is not reporting any significant problems on the line passing through Harrogate and Knaresborough this morning but the live departure and arrival board for Harrogate shows the 7.09am Northern service to York is currently running seven minutes late.
The Harrogate Bus Company is not currently reporting any cancellations or significant delays on its services. You can get updates here.
An early warning for you: there are some changes to bus timetables on the horizon, taking effect from Sunday, November 6. Most of these are minor, but in a more significant change, the 36 will no longer offer ‘neighbourhood journeys’ from Bilton and Jennyfield to Leeds.
The bus company said this is down to low passenger numbers. Passengers can still get tickets through to Leeds if they start their journeys on the 2A, 2B or 3.
Check the full details on the Harrogate Bus Company website.
MPs watch: energy costs and sewage controversy
Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.
In August, Parliament was not sitting as it was in recess over the summer. Nonetheless, Conservative MPs faced questions over what the government was doing to tackle the cost of living crisis and allegations that they voted voted in favour of pumping raw sewage into rivers and the sea.
We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.
Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.
Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.
In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found out on Mr Jones:
Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.
In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:
Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.
In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:
The Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate could cause disruption on the roads in the week ahead as visitors flock to the town.
All 140,000 tickets have been sold for the annual event, which starts on Tuesday and ends on Friday.
The sheer volume of traffic can cause problems at the beginning and end of each day, though significant improvements have been made to reduce the queues seen in the past.
Melisa Burnham, highways area manager for North Yorkshire County Council, said:
“We work closely with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS), its traffic management company and National Highways to agree a traffic management plan.
“We always ensure that roadworks on the main routes are kept to a minimum, with only emergency work permitted. Highways officers will monitor traffic on the routes and are available should they need to support the traffic management company.
“Whilst every effort is made to ensure that traffic flows efficiently, visitors to Harrogate should expect delays at peak times and plan their journeys accordingly.”
Whether you’re planning to visit the show or hoping to avoid any hold-ups as you travel elsewhere, here is all you need to know to keep you moving this week.
Wetherby Road
Wetherby Road and surrounding streets are set to be the most affected as traffic orders prioritise getting visitors to and from the showground with minimal queuing..
Signs are already in place down the A658 directing show traffic towards Harrogate.
On all four days of the show, traffic will be one-way from the Kestrel roundabout to the showground, from 6am to 2pm.
This will then reverse at 2pm to enable cars to leave the site towards the Kestrel roundabout.
Forest Lane and Rudding Lane
A traffic order will be in place to prevent vehicles turning right from Wetherby Road onto Rudding Lane. The restriction does not apply to buses or to residents.
Drivers will also be prevented from travelling north across the A661 from Rudding Lane to Forest Lane.
Hookstone Drive and surroundings
Waiting will be prohibited along Hookstone Wood Road, Hookstone Oval and Woodlands Green, from 6am to 9pm on all four days.
Wayside Walk, Wayside Close, Innisfree Close, Wayside Avenue, St Leonards Road, Windsor Road, St Helen’s Road and Apley Close will have no waiting orders for the first 50m from the junction with Hookstone Drive.
Deighton Road and Spofforth Lane
A one-way order will be in place from the junction of West View in North Deighton to the junction of Ribston Road, just north of Spofforth.
It will bring traffic west towards Harrogate from 6am to 2pm each day before being reversed to take vehicles away from 2pm until 8pm.
People driving from east of Harrogate, including Knaresborough and villages towards York, are being asked to follow signs to bring them onto the A658 and the A661 one-way route.
Those travelling from Leeds and the south via the A61 will be directed onto the A658 and in towards the showground from the Kestrel roundabout.
The A661 from Wetherby through Spofforth is not designated an official route and people are asked to avoid using it. An alternative for those travelling from the south is to continue to follow the A61 into Harrogate, then turn right onto Hookstone Road and follow signs towards Hookstone Drive.
People travelling from the west, as well as Ripon, should follow signs for the B6161 from the A59 at the former Old Spring Well junction to the north-west of Harrogate.
From there, they will travel to Beckwithshaw before being directed onto the B6162 Otley Road towards Harrogate and signposted to car parks.
Alternative options
Bus and rail access to the showground is possible on all four days.
The Harrogate Bus Company runs a free shuttle bus from the town centre to the showground, departing every 20 minutes.
It travels between Harrogate Bus Station and the white gate at the northern end of the showground. The double-decker buses will have low floors and space for pushchairs.
Did you know that Transdev, @harrogatebus, operates a FREE shuttle bus service from Harrogate Bus Station (next to the Railway Station) to the Great Yorkshire Show. Daily from 7.30am until 6.30pm. Buses depart every 20 minutes from the town centre – https://t.co/5A7KgMCijK pic.twitter.com/cdqovCjPVZ
— Great Yorkshire Show (@greatyorkshow) July 8, 2022
The nearest railway station is Hornbeam Park, from where there will be a signposted walking route via the ‘showground greenway’ across the Crimple Valley.
Look out for up-to-date travel news during the show on the Stray Ferret.
Bus strategy ‘hollow’ without more money, says Harrogate Bus Company bossThe boss of Harrogate Bus Company has said the government’s Bus Back Better strategy to make services more affordable and reliable will be “hollow” without more funding.
Alex Hornby’s comments come after council officials warned North Yorkshire would not get “anything near” the £116million it bid for from the scheme, which promises to “transform” services but has seen its budget slashed from £3billion to £1.4billion.
Mr Hornby, who is chief executive of Harrogate Bus Company’s parent firm Transdev Blazefield, said the scheme will be “insufficient” to fund all proposed improvements across the country, including those planned for Harrogate. he said:
“We felt the plans for Harrogate were ambitious with new bus priority on the main bus routes to make buses faster and more reliable – things us and our customers want, and what we know will attract more people on board.
“These plans are not new – they have been waiting for funding since before the pandemic – and we hope North Yorkshire County Council will continue to seek funding.
“We have worked solidly with the county council on their enhanced partnership, but it’s a bit hollow without funding for enhancements.”
The council will next month enter into a new “enhanced partnership” with bus operators in order for North Yorkshire to get access to funding for its proposed £116million Bus Service Improvement Plan.
The plan asks for £23million to build more bus lanes, £74million for other infrastructure improvements and £14million for support for services.
There are also proposals for a simpler ticketing system and better information on journeys.
However, council officials have warned it was “unlikely” that North Yorkshire would receive all of the £116million it bid for and that there was a possibility it could get no funding at all.
They said any funding received would be prioritised to areas where they believe it is needed the most, including Harrogate, which has some of the best bus services in North Yorkshire but still suffers with the worst traffic congestion.
Included in the plans is a park and ride pilot scheme for Harrogate, and officials expressed confidence that enough cash could still come forward for this.
They also said the on-demand bus service, YorBus, which allows app users to book and track journeys in Ripon, Masham and Bedale would also be high on the priority list for financial support.
Separately, council officials said they were also confident about another bid for £8million of government cash to make all of Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet electric.
If successful, Transdev would contribute £11.5million towards the costs of buying 39 zero-emission buses.
A government decision on this bid is expected before the end of the month.
Mr Hornby said even without government funding, Harrogate Bus Company’s network has still improved in recent years as he also set out some of the areas that he believes should be prioritised for investment:
Ripon could have a new bus service by April“New housing developers will help expand the network and we would encourage colleagues at North Yorkshire County Council to focus on improving the infrastructure and bus shelters, some of which are now well past their best.
“Our bus network in Harrogate has thrived without capital spending from the public sector thanks to our investment in the class-leading fleet on the 36, the first all-electric town network and in new and refreshed low emission buses elsewhere.”
A new, comprehensive bus service for Ripon could be up and running as soon as April.
Ripon is served by regular Transdev 36 buses, which link the city with Harrogate and Leeds.
But local buses are limited and Ripon City Council’s transport group has been trying for several years to create a more joined-up service.
Councillor Peter Horton, who chairs the transport group, said plans to create a more integrated bus timetable for all parts of Ripon were being put out to tender by North Yorkshire County Council.
He told Monday’s Ripon City Council meeting:
“The integrated passenger transport authority now has monies available from the Doublegates housing development to help fund the comprehensive scheme we put forward.
“This would serve our growing city up to six days a week.
“The hope is that the service could be operating by April, but that will depend on the response to the tender from bus operators.”
Developers of both the Doublegates scheme off Clotherholme Road and St Michael’s Retail Park at Rotary Way were required to contribute towards the cost of public transport improvements in Ripon, as part of a Section 106 planning agreement.
Cllr Horton said:
“Now that funds are in hand we hope to see matters progress as quickly as possible.”
Concerns are mounting for traditional bus services in rural areas as passenger numbers remain well below pre-pandemic rates.
While numerous services were kept afloat across North Yorkshire with £1.5m of subsidies from the county council before covid, the county’s transport boss has stated many are now facing “great pressure” due to a lack of passengers.
Bus demand in Great Britain maintained its downward trend in the quarter before the pandemic, falling by 2.7 per cent, according to statistics published by the Department for Transport, but since covid the number of passengers using North Yorkshire services has dropped by about 30 per cent.
North Yorkshire County Council’s older people’s champion Councillor Caroline Dickinson questioned whether the pandemic had led to a long-term shift in behaviour away from public to private transport.
The member for Northallerton said bus user groups were wanting more bus services in rural areas.
North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for access, Councillor Don Mackenzie responded by issuing reassurances that the authority had launched initiatives to counter the drop in passengers.
He said alongside the Yorbus initiative, which the authority hopes to roll out elsewhere to improve access to public transport, the council was looking to develop services that were better value for money and more effective as part of its bus services improvement plan, valued at £116m over eight years.
Cllr Mackenzie warned the council would always focus its available funds on where it would achieve the strongest outcomes.
He said:
“Clearly bus services, like rail services, have suffered as a result of covid. I understand passenger numbers are still well below where they were before covid came along.
“We’re looking at something like 70 per cent patronage on bus services and because of that the commercial viability of especially rural services remains under great pressure.”
The executive also heard the first three months of Yorbus, its demand responsive travel pilot in the rural area surrounding Bedale, Ripon and Masham, had “exceeded expectations” and achieved the majority of its targets expected at six to 12 months in the first three months of service.
An officers’ report to the meeting stated:
“Feedback from customers has, on the whole, been extremely positive, and the high levels of customer satisfaction are reflected in the number of repeat passengers using the service.
“During the quarter, 98.5 per cent of all completed bookings were made via the customer app and 1,541 accounts were created in the first three months, against a target of 171.”
Cllr Mackenzie added:
City council continues to press for better Ripon bus service“At the moment we invest £1.5m a year subsidising rural bus services and in addition to that £7m a year on bus passes under the national concessionary travel scheme.
“We are doing plenty for it, but inevitably value for money will come into this. Our ultimate aim is to make rural bus services much more viable by improving patronage.”
City councillors will renew efforts this autumn to secure a bus service designed for Ripon’s residential roads and streets.
The city is well-served by Transdev’s 36 service, which provides regular buses to and from Leeds, via Harrogate and last month an uber-style service linking Ripon, Bedale and Masham, was launched as a pilot.
However, in-city bus services in Ripon have been patchy for many years.
Council leader Andrew Williams, told the Stray Ferret:
“With the Section 106 monies from the Bishops Glade residential development and St Michael’s Retail Park, North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) as the integrated transport authority, has the financial means to fund a properly joined up city-wide bus service for Ripon.
“In addition to the contributions that developers are required to make towards the provision of bus services, the city council has funds ready to put into the pot.”
Cllr Williams pointed out:
“With a growing population, bringing increased traffic and more pressure on Ripon’s road network, it makes sense to encourage greater use of public transport for visiting the city centre, getting to work, school and for other travel needs.”
Section 106 monies from the developer of the Bishops Glade scheme could be used to improve city-wide bus services in Ripon
Harron Homes, which is building 145 dwellings at the Bishops Glade development in the Doublegates area of Ripon, is making payments totalling £500,000 over three years, towards the cost of providing a regular Monday to Saturday bus service between the development and the city centre.
At Rotary Way, where the St Michael’s Retail Park is home to a Marks & Spencer Food store, developer Commercial Projects Ltd, is required to make a Section 106 payment of £475,000 towards the cost of a local bus service.
This is designed to provide a public transport means for customers to visit the edge-of-city scheme, where Lidl also has plans to open a supermarket.
Elected members have been seeking improved public transport provision for some time and Cllr Peter Horton, who chairs the city council transport group, said earlier this year:
“We will liaise with North Yorkshire County Council to discuss how the sources of funding can be drawn together.
“As a growing city, it makes sense to have a robust and regular bus service that reduces the need for cars to come into the centre, where parking is at a premium, while also providing a means for non-drivers to come into town.
“There are environmental benefits as well, as fewer car journeys into Ripon city centre will reduce the emissions that cause global warming.”
Discussions with NYCC have been delayed by the covid lockdowns, but the city council will seek meetings at county hall in the autumn, in the hope that the tendering process for a new, comprehensive inner Ripon service, can be held at the earliest opportunity.
More bus lanes needed to boost Harrogate public transport, says council
More bus lanes and a smart ticketing system are some of the suggestions being put forward by Harrogate Borough Council to boost use of public transport.
The council’s overview and scrutiny commission will meet on Monday to discuss the ideas, which also include more frequent services in rural areas and more electric buses as part of a bid to reduce car travel.
The ideas will form part of a multi-million pound bid for government cash, which is being prepared by North Yorkshire County Council – the area’s public transport authority.
Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, said he believes bus services in Harrogate are among “the best in the country” but he added there was still room for improvement.
He said:
“Where we face challenges is in our rural areas where passenger numbers have not been sufficient enough to allow bus operators to run a commercially-viable service. That is why the county council has had to step in.
“Currently, we subsidise bus services to the tune of £1.5 million a year and we are committed to keeping that figure in place for years to come.
“We also provide 127,000 bus passes to the elderly and disabled, as well as their carers, and that costs us around £7 million a year.
“But with inflation the £1.5 million buys less and less each year so we are looking at other options.
“I welcome the fact that this issue has gone to the overview and scrutiny commission – I would like to hear their views.”
Under the government’s new bus strategy, £3 billion is to be made available to make buses across the country cheaper and easier to use.
It is hoped these targets will be met through so-called enhanced partnerships, where councils agree to infrastructure improvements in return for better services from bus companies.
The county council agreed to this in June and is now drawing up proposals through a Bus Service Improvement Plan which will be published by the end of October.
In a report to Monday’s meeting, David Stannard, strategic transport planner at Harrogate Borough Council, said the authority would like to see the introduction of a smart ticketing system where passes can be used on different modes of transport.
He said:
“Simple and easy fare systems should be encouraged across operators and integration with other transport modes needs to be considered.
“In the Harrogate district context, this could include linking bus travel with the existing car club and rail services as well as active mode provision.”
Another suggestion was more bus lanes, which Mr Stannard said would “improve journey times and reliability – making buses more attractive than the private car”.
There is also strong support for a Harrogate park and ride scheme, which county council officials are currently looking into. There are two potential sites for this: land near Pannal Golf Club and another site near Buttersyke Bar roundabout south of the village.
It comes as the county council has submitted an expression of interest bid to the government to make all of Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet zero-emissions.
If successful, the £20 million bid will fund 39 new buses and other infrastructure works.
The county council is also currently piloting its on-demand bus service, YorBus, which allows app users to book and track services on-demand in the Ripon, Bedale and Masham areas.
Since its launch in July, 726 journeys have been completed with an average customer rating of 4.9 out of 5.
Cllr Mackenzie said:
“We are delighted with the success of YorBus in the short time it has been running – the statistics speak for themselves. It has been very well-received and enhances our existing public transport network.”