Calls to stem escalating cyclist vs motorist conflict in North Yorkshire

A 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”.

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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.”

 

‘It’s working well’: Campaigner counts cyclists using Harrogate’s Beech Grove

Harrogate cycling campaigner Malcolm Margolis spent two hours yesterday counting cyclists using the new Beech Grove low traffic neighbourhood.

Mr Margolis was spurred into action after reading a Stray Ferret article on Wednesday, which reported that on average around three cyclists per hour over a 24-hour period used the road.

The figures came from North Yorkshire County Council following a freedom of information request.

The county council closed Beech Grove to through traffic in February, initially on a six-month trial to encourage walking and cycling. It later extended the trial to 18 months.

The seemingly low number of cyclists using Beech Grove bemused Mr Margolis, who said he used the road several times a week and saw many more cyclists than the council’s survey suggested.

So he put up a camping chair next to the planters and took out his notepad and pen to count them himself.

He counted 17 cyclists from 8am to 9am and 21 cyclists from 2.45pm to 3.45pm. He said his survey proved the scheme is working well.

“The figures didn’t make sense to me. So I woke up this morning and thought, ‘let’s go down and spend an hour there to see how many I can count’.”

The Stray Ferret joined Mr Margolis for an hour in the afternoon to join him counting cyclists. We also counted three cyclists illegally crossing the Stray, and seven motorists performing U-turns in the road after realising they could not pass through.

Mr Margolis accepted that his own survey was not totally scientific because it was performed on a sunny day during peak hours. But he said the reality of the low traffic neighbourhood is that the road has been “transformed” for cyclists and pedestrians.

Passionate debate

Several curious onlookers stopped, including a man called David who was on his way to Western Primary School to collect his two children.

He said:

“It’s made it so much easier to walk to school with my children.”

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Another cyclist called Quentin said the scheme had wider benefits than just promoting cycling.

“We need to do something to tackle climate change. This is not just a benefit for cyclists, we see far more walkers.”

There were some dissenting voices, however. A couple called Sarah and George, who live together on Cold Bath Road, told Mr Margolis they were not in favour of the scheme, which prompted a passionate debate on the merits of the closure, with other passers-by joining in.

Sarah said:

“It’s backwards. It’s pushing traffic onto Cold Bath Road.”

Mr Margolis told the couple that the scheme will help create a cycling culture similar to those in Holland, Germany or Japan.

Sarah responded:

“It will never happen! We don’t have enough space.”

With the trial set to continue until August 2022, the Low Traffic Neighbourhood will continue to be debated for some time to come.

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning and happy Monday it’s Leah with you today bringing you all the latest traffic and travel news. With Schools back this week, traffic is expected to get busier throughout the mornings.

Ring me on 01423 276197, if it is safe, or get in touch on social media.

Let’s help everyone have a better journey by letting me know so I can add it to the blog, brought to you by the HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

That is it from me this morning, Suzannah will be back in with you tomorrow from 6:30 with regular updates.

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning with schools heading back from the summer holiday. But, keep an eye on the blog to see how it goes today.

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building here:

Road closures:

Temporary lights

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning with schools heading back from the summer holiday. But, keep an eye on the blog to see how it goes today.

Traffic is building here:

Road closures:

Temporary lights

Trains

Buses

 

8am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning with schools heading back from the summer holiday. But, keep an eye on the blog to see how it goes today.

Traffic is building here:

Road closures:

Temporary lights

Trains

Buses

 

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to look busier this morning with schools heading back from the summer holiday. But, keep an eye on the blog to see how it goes today.

Traffic is building here:

Road closures:

Temporary lights

Trains

Buses

 

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning with schools still away for the summer holiday. But, keep an eye on the blog to see how it goes today.

Road closures:

Temporary lights

Trains

Buses

 

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning with schools still away for the summer holiday. But, keep an eye on the blog to see how it goes today.

Road closures:

Temporary lights

Trains

Buses

 

Crackdown on utility companies that leave North Yorkshire roads in a poor state

A highways authority experiencing a huge cut in road maintenance funding has signalled its determination to crackdown on utility companies that fail to properly restore roads after digging them up.

A meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive this week heard shoddy reinstatement of roads by sewage, water, electricity, gas and communications firms was responsible for “well over half” of potholes across the country’s largest road network.

The meeting discussed ways to get utility firms to “sharpen their pencils” and improve performance.

One idea was to introduce road metering whereby firms would be charged according to the amount of time they spent on site, meaning putting right poor workmanship would prove more costly.

The Department of Transport announced this year North Yorkshire County Council would receive £37 million to maintain roads in 2021/22, £12.6 million less than the previous year. Whitehall bosses estimated the £16.5 million earmarked specifically for potholes in the county could repair 329,000 cavities.

The funding announcement came two years after the Department for Transport launched a consultation to help councils tackle the potholes by making utility companies ensure the safety of roads for up to five years. However, it has emerged the proposal has been postponed due to fears of creating “unintended consequences” for utility firms.

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Street Works UK, a trade association representing utility companies, has said the five-year rule would be unnecessary and that the sector’s roadworks performance is much better than local authorities.

The debate has also seen the RAC Foundation describe potholes as “the bane of road users’ lives” and call for utility firms to be held responsible for the quality of their road repairs.

‘Utility firms must be held to account’

Nevertheless, Councillor Stanley Lumley, a Conservative representing Pateley Bridge and chairman of the authority’s transport, economy and environment overview and scrutiny committee, told the executive there were clear variances in the condition of roads across North Yorkshire and utility firms needed to be held to account.

“It’s a great shame that we invest a lot of money in maintaining these roads and then a utility company can come along and do a poor reinstatement and that results in a bad reflection on the county.”

Councillor Don Mackenzie, a Conservative representing Harrogate Saltergate and the council’s executive member for access, said he believed well over half the county’s potholes were caused by poor remedial works following excavations. But he stressed only three per cent of the county’s principle roads were in need of repair.

“Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do to stop the utility companies breaking into our highways. They have a statutory right to access their equipment, replace or repair it.

“It is something that we must monitor very closely and is something that I personally am very concerned about. We shall ensure that we continue to improve the quality of those reinstatements.”

Cllr Mackenzie said the council had introduced a roadworks permits scheme a few years ago, which had generated funding to employ people to monitor utility firms’ work and led to financial penalties being imposed on utility companies for poor workmanship.

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning, it’s Connor with you today on this cloudy Thursday morning. I’m here to help you have a smooth journey in the Harrogate district.

Any delays? New roadworks? Let me know by calling me on 01423 276197 or commenting on social media.

Let’s help everyone have a better journey by letting me know so I can add it to the blog, brought to you by the HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

That is all from me this morning. Hopefully you found the service helpful. We really do appreciate when people send us any reports, it makes a big difference for other drivers. I am heading over to the news desk now but Leah will be back with you tomorrow morning.

Roads

The roads are quieter with schools on holiday but there are a few areas to look out for this morning. As well as the road closures and temporary lights, our traffic system is showing congestion on Wetherby Road.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are quieter with schools on holiday but there are a few areas to look out for this morning. As well as the road closures and temporary lights, our traffic system is showing congestion on Wetherby Road, Skipton Road and A59 High Street in Starbeck.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are quieter with schools on holiday but there are a few areas to look out for this morning. As well as the road closures and temporary lights, our traffic system is showing congestion on Skipton Road, Harrogate Road near North Rigton and Wetherby Road.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning with schools still away for the summer holiday. Make sure to keep checking in as the morning goes on.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning with schools still away for the summer holiday. Make sure to keep checking in as the morning goes on.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning. Make sure to keep checking in as the morning goes on.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

Fallen tree blocks busy Harrogate road

A large tree has fallen in Harrogate and partly blocked a busy road, causing problems for traffic this afternoon.

The tree fell at around 2pm on Forest Lane near Hookstone Chase Primary School.

Nobody is believed to have been hurt even though the road attracts heavy traffic.

Our traffic system is showing congestion on nearby Wetherby Road and Hookstone Chase as a result.

It is unclear at this time how long it will take to clear the blockage or whether anybody was injured in the incident.

The Stray Ferret has asked North Yorkshire Police for further details but has yet to receive a reply.

Lesley Thompson told the Stray Ferret:

“I was just travelling down the road when I saw the road was blocked. It looks like a massive bough has fallen off of the tree.

“When I saw it I went to make sure that nobody was hurt and I could not see anyone or any cars in there.”

 

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning. It’s Connor with you on this cloudy Thursday morning. The roads have been a little quieter in the last few weeks but make sure to let me know if anything slows you down.

This blog, brought to you by the HACS Group, brings you live travel updates until 9am.

Were you stuck in a jam? Are there some new roadworks on your route? Let’s help everyone have a smoother journey by letting me know so I can add it to the blog.

Please give me a call on 01423 276197 or join our Facebook group ‘Harrogate district traffic and travel’ to give any updates.

9am – Full Update 

Thank you for getting involved this morning. We do have a system to keep an eye on the traffic but it cannot beat local reports. So do keep getting in touch. Leah will be back with you tomorrow from 6.30am. I am heading over to the news desk now.

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning but there are a few areas to look out for across the Harrogate district, mainly around construction works.

Our system is showing heavy traffic here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning but there are a few areas to look out for across the Harrogate district, mainly around construction works.

Our system is showing heavy traffic here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning but there are a few areas to look out for across the Harrogate district, mainly around construction works.

Our system is showing heavy traffic here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning but there are a few areas to look out for across the Harrogate district, mainly around construction works.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning but there are a few areas to look out for across the Harrogate district, mainly around construction works.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning. Make sure to keep checking in as the morning goes on.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning, I hope you’re good this morning. The roads have been a little quieter this week in terms of traffic but numerous roadworks are adding time to people’s journeys.

This blog, brought to you by the HACS Group, brings you live travel updates until 9am.

Please give me a call on 01423 276197 or join our Facebook group ‘Harrogate district traffic and travel’ to give any updates.

9am – Full Update 

That’s it from me this week. It will be Leah with you bright and early tomorrow.

Have a great day.

The A64 is currently closed in both directions at Tadcaster due to a crane fire.

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Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

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8.45am – Full Update 

The A64 is currently closed in both directions at Tadcaster due to a crane fire.

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

The A64 is currently closed in both directions at Tadcaster due to a crane fire.

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.15am – Full Update 

The A64 is currently closed in both directions at Tadcaster due to a crane fire.

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Pockets of traffic are beginning to show on our computer system. Nothing significant just yet.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

It’s picking up out there but no traffic hotspots just yet.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

It’s slowly starting to pick up out there but no particular areas of traffic just yet.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are still looking clear this morning. Keep checking in for today’s traffic hotspots.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning and happy Wednesday – we’re halfway through the week! I have another long list of temporary lights for you today as well as the traffic hotspots, of course.

Like I’ve said our computer system can miss things so if you get stuck at some lights or in traffic let me know on social media or call me on 01423 276197.

These blogs, brought to you by The HACS Group, give updates on the road and rail links every 15 minutes.

9am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

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Buses

8.45am – Full Update 

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Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.15am – Full Update 

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Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

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Buses

8am – Full Update 

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Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

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Buses

7.45am – Full Update 

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Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

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Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

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Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.15am – Full Update 

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Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

No traffic hotspots to report just yet but keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are still looking clear so far this morning. But keep checking in for today’s traffic hotspots.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning, it’s Suzannah with you today. We have quite a long list of temporary traffic lights in place but sometimes our computer system misses them so please give me a call if you spot any more.

Feel free to get in touch on social media or call 01423 276197 to give me any updates.

These blogs, brought to you by The HACS Group, give updates on the roads every 15 minutes.

9am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.45am – Full Update 

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Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

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8.30am – Full Update 

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Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

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8.15am – Full Update 

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Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

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Buses

8am – Full Update 

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Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

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7.45am – Full Update 

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Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

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Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

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Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

No signs of traffic building just yet. Keep checking in for today’s traffic hotspots.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

There are small pockets of traffic in the usual spots across the district but nothing too heavy just yet.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

6.45am – Full Update

Roads

The roads are still looking clear so far this morning. Keep checking in for today’s traffic hotspots.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, today’s traffic hotspots are likely to show up a little later. Keep checking in.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses