Councillors are calling for damaged roads in Ripon city centre to be resurfaced with tarmac as a matter of urgency.
The principal areas of concern are the four roads around Market Square where block paving has lifted and cracked because of the volume of traffic.
In recent years North Yorkshire Council has carried out temporary repairs by putting tarmac over the worst-affected sections, leaving the surface looking like a patchwork quilt.
Roads around the market are the main concern.
On Friday, city council leader Andrew Williams will tour Ripon with North Yorkshire highways officials to show them where problems exist with cracked and uneven roads and pavements.
At Monday evening’s full council meeting, he said:
“There are many parts of Ripon where repair and renewal is required, but the dangerous state of the roads around Market Square is totally unacceptable for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists and the temporary fixes just don’t work.
“These are the busiest roads in the city centre and comprehensive resurfacing works need to be included in North Yorkshire Highways capital programme as a matter of urgency.”
Cllr Williams’ proposal, which calls on North Yorkshire to make the work a priority, was unanimously supported by fellow councillors.
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No end in sight to Sharow’s pothole plight
Work to repair potholes in Sharow has not been included in the North Yorkshire County Council programme for next year.
Villagers are set to face continuing bumpy rides after discovering the capital programme for the 2023/24 financial year does not include the repairs, estimated to cost around £200,000.
Village campaigner James Thornborough told the Stray Ferret:
“As well as being bad news for anybody who drives, cycles or walks along New Road or Sharow Lane, this has wider implications for people across the county waiting for work to be carried out on potholed and uneven roads.”
His disappointment follows an email response seen by the Stray Ferret in which Barrie Mason, NYCC’s assistant director of highways and transportation, said:
“The delivery programme for the 2023/24 capital programme has been determined and cost pressures in the budget due to construction price inflation means that a number of schemes that were already programmed have had to be put back and consequently a scheme for Sharow Lane and New Road will not be delivered in 2023/24, but will be considered again against priorities across the county network for the 2024/25 programme.”
He added:
“I can assure you that the team will in the meantime ensure that these roads are inspected and maintained in line with our Highways Safety Inspection Manual and responsibilities as the local highway authority to ensure that any safety defects are repaired.”
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The Stray Ferret approached Mr Mason to ask what other schemes in the the Harrogate district have been removed from the capital programme for 2023/24, but no response had been received at the time of publication.
In February, after raising Sharow’s pothole plight with NYCC’s chief executive Richard Flinton, Mr Thornborough felt reassured after receiving a rapid email response from the county’s head of highways operations Nigel Smith, who said:
“Sharow Lane and New Road are at a stage where preventative maintenance is not an option and a more substantial maintenance scheme will be considered for inclusion in our Forward Capital Programme, which presently means that the earliest a planned maintenance scheme could be delivered would be during the 2023/24 financial year.
“By way of further information, it is anticipated that a full ‘plane out and resurface’ scheme is required at this location, which will require funding of up to £200,000.
“In the meantime we will continue to do the annual safety inspections and reactive inspections to keep these carriageways in as safe a condition as possible and keep the matter under regular review.”
Within days of the email, NYCC workmen identified 38 potholes in Sharow and a temporary tarmac fix was applied.
Now, with the full plane out and resurfacing works ruled out for the coming financial year, Mr Thornborough, said:
Poor state of Ripon roads comes under spotlight“The council itself accepts that preventative maintenance is no longer an option for the affected roads in the village, but if they can’t find the £200,000 to do this job, it sends a worrying message about their ability to keep all roads across the county in an acceptable condition.”
The rapidly-deteriorating condition of many Ripon roads came under the spotlight at a virtual meeting yesterday.
Officers from North Yorkshire County Council were invited by Ripon City Council to explain the reason for extended delays to repair and renewal work for roads, including those surrounding the Market Square, Minister Road and Dallamires Lane.
The city council had wanted NYCC to make the meeting, which was held on Teams, open to the media, but in an email exchange yesterday .Karl Battersby, NYCC’s corporate director for business and environmental services, said:
“My position remains that I am not prepared to have the discussion with the media present.”
Minster Road, which runs past Ripon Cathedral, is in need of repairs
In an earlier email, Mr Battersby said:
“Our understanding was that this would be a frank and open discussion in private to try and reach a better understanding together of the possibilities and restrictions. At no point was this to be a press conference.”
After the meeting, city council leader Andrew Williams, who was involved in the email exchange and made the unsuccessful attempt to have it open to journalists and the public, told the Stray Ferret plans to improve Market Place East were agreed. He said:
“I can’t understand why North Yorkshire County Council didn’t want the press and public to be involved. It was cordial and constructive and would have given the officers a means to explain to the wider population the situation they face in Ripon and other parts of the county.
“With the government settlement meaning a loss of £4million from the highways budget, they are strapped for cash, but the officers did understand the concerns raised by myself and other councillors involved in the call.
“We were pleased to hear that a scheme for Market Place East will be drawn up and other areas are being looked at.”
Councillor Williams added:
“While roads in an around the city are in need of repair, we will continue to bang the drum on Ripon’s behalf.”
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