Kevin Douglas Archives - The Stray Ferret

Harrogate cycling group: ‘We need delivery, not just bids’

A Harrogate cycling group has said North Yorkshire County Council needs to “deliver” cycling schemes after years of promises.

The council revealed yesterday it planned to bid for £3.19 million to help fund projects in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Both schemes — on Victoria Avenue in Harrogate and Harrogate Road in Knaresborough — were previously announced in 2020.

Now the council needs to await the outcome of its bid to tranche four of the Department for Transport’s active travel fund before knowing if either initiative can go ahead.

It follows the council’s decision to abandon phase two of the Otley Road cycle route in Harrogate and the closure of nearby Beech Grove to through traffic, as well as ongoing uncertainty over whether the £11.2 million Harrogate Station Gateway will go ahead.

The Otley Road cycle route

The initiatives were part of a wider ambition to create a linked off-road cycle route from Cardale Park to Harrogate train station.

Plans to improve cycling on Oatlands Drive were also shelved.

Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate District Cycling Action, said:

“We welcome the fact that the council is continuing to bid. But what we would like to see is some delivery.

“Standalone cycle schemes are not going to work. We need a single, segregated, joined-up cycle route to make sure people are safe.”

Mr Douglas described as “slightly embarrassing” yesterday’s comments by Councillor Keane Duncan, the Conservative executive member for highways at the council, that the latest bid was “another significant milestone in our efforts to deliver a more balanced approach to travel in the county”.

Mr Douglas said the only new active travel scheme had been the first phase of the Otley Road cycle route, which he said remained incomplete and unsafe, adding:

“There have been no new schemes here. Now they are seeking additional funds for schemes they have already announced.

“I’m not sure how they can talk about their track record for delivery.”

Victoria Avenue, which is the council’s priority scheme, would see improvements to public spaces, pedestrian crossings and segregated cycleways. Parking spaces would be removed.

A decision on bids submitted for the active travel fund is expected from the government on March 17.

Construction must begin on successful projects before March 31, 2024.

Cycling group questions commitment to active travel in Harrogate district

A cycling group has said the expected abandonment of the second phase of the Otley Road cycle route has raised serious questions about the commitment to active travel in the Harrogate district.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transportation at North Yorkshire County Council, said yesterday none of the proposed Otley Road options had proved popular and he was asking “serious questions” about whether to proceed.

Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said his group was one of the council’s consultees on the scheme and he was disappointed not to have been told the news.

He said the council had confidently predicted the scheme would succeed in 2017 and six years later only a third of it had been delivered.

Mr Douglas agreed there were problems with phase one but said shelving the scheme wasn’t the solution. He said he’d like to see alternative proposals and a more consistent commitment to active travel in the district, adding:

“If they do scrap it there needs to be very careful scrutiny of what’s happened here and whether there is a real commitment to doing things properly.

“To do these schemes you have got to be committed to change, like in Leeds and York.

“Let’s get Active Travel England, who are experts, to come in and look at the county council’s proposals and see what they think of them.”

The three-phase Otley Road cycle route was supposed to be part of a wider scheme providing safe cycling between Cardale Park and the town centre. Mr Douglas said:

“If they don’t build phase two I’m not sure how they are going to see that through.”

He compared the lack of progress on Otley Road and other active travel schemes, such as Beech Grove and Victoria Avenue in Harrogate and Harrogate Road in Knaresborough, as well as the Harrogate Station Gateway, with the £70 million realignment of the A59 at Kex Gill, which is about to get underway.

Mr Douglas said removing car parking space on Beech Grove would encourage cyclists to use the road yet it wasn’t one of the options included in the Otley Road phase two consultation.

He said it was wrong to blame cyclists for the scheme collapsing when the real issue was a lack of commitment to active travel.

Calls for safer cycling on Oatlands Drive in new Harrogate survey

Calls to make Oatlands Drive safer for cycling feature prominently in the initial responses to a new survey on active travel in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire County Council opened a public engagement this week on how to encourage more people to cycle and walk in the densely populated area bordered by Wetherby Road, York Place, Leeds Road and Hookstone Drive and Hookstone Road.

It is hoped the exercise will lead to the introduction of traffic calming measures that result in fewer vehicles and more cycling and walking, especially as the area includes two large secondary schools — St. John Fisher Catholic High School and St. Aidan’s Church of England High School.

People can have their say on an interactive map, which has generated 271 responses so far in its first week.

The narrow cycle lanes on Oatlands Drive.

Oatlands Drive, which passes St Aidan’s, has attracted a strikingly high number of responses, with many focussing on how unsafe the narrow cycling lanes are. The comments include:

“The cycle lane is actually worse than having no lane as cars see it as a segregated lane and pass really close in their lane.”

“Please, please do something to stop people parking their cars at the side of this road. When I cycle on this road, I am forced to undertake potentially dangerous positional moves.”

Other Oatlands area suggestions include banning hospital workers from parking in the Saints area and better cleaning of drains to prevent flooding.

Backlash to previous Oatlands Drive plans

The survey was launched this week — more than a year-and-a-half after proposals for one-way traffic on Oatlands Drive were scrapped following a backlash from residents.

A 20mph limit and traffic filters were then proposed, however, residents were still unhappy.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, has urged the council to “have the backbone to deliver” this time.

Cllr Keane Duncan, executive member for highways at the authority, said previously:

“The public engagement demonstrates our commitment to ensuring local people are involved in the design process from the outset.”

To have your say on the proposals, click here.

Will Harrogate cycling schemes ever get out of first gear?

A cycling group has expressed frustration amid ongoing uncertainty over the timetable to increase active travel in the Harrogate district.

The council previously said designs to create better cycling routes on Victoria Avenue and the A59 were “likely” to be revealed this summer. It also said a consultation on Oatlands Drive cycling improvements was “likely to start soon after” Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee bank holiday weekend in June.

But a fortnight ago Councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for highways and transport at North Yorkshire County Council, said an Oatlands consultation was now likely to start in October and a consultation on Victoria Avenue and the A59 were due in the New Year.

The Stray Ferret asked the council why the consultations had been delayed.

Melisa Burnham, North Yorkshire County Council’s area highways manager, said in a statement:

“We want to ensure that all road users fully understand the strategic links between all the proposed projects in Harrogate to enable them to comment with a clear voice.

“To ensure this, we have taken the time necessary to draft detailed engagement papers. Details of the consultation will be announced soon. We have explained this situation to interested parties.”

Victoria Avenue is one of the routes designated for cycling improvements.

Councillors frequently talk about creating a joined-up, off-road cycle route from Harrogate train station to Cardale Park, which would require completion of the Station Gateway scheme and the Otley Road and Victoria Avenue cycle routes, as well as the prohibition of traffic on Beech Grove. None of these projects is making noticeable progress.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said the speed of change was particularly disappointing because funding for projects was in place. He said:

“We have been waiting so long for this. It’s frustrating that every time we seem to be making progress, the dates slip back.

“We need to see resources dedicated to carrying out the work as soon as possible.”

Still no word about the Beech Grove & Otley Road consultation promised in September 2022.
Countdown: 6 days late https://t.co/tvpBidDlsF

— Harrogate Cycle Action (@cycle_harrogate) October 7, 2022

Mr Douglas also highlighted how, in contrast to delays on cycling schemes, work was due to start on the £68m scheme to realign Kex Gill for motorists. He added:

“All we can do is keep pressing for change and hope things start to move more quickly.”

Residents may ask council to reconsider Otley Road cycle path

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.”

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.”

Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route ‘on budget’ despite problems

Harrogate’s long-delayed Otley Road cycle path is on budget despite the troubled project running into more problems.

That is according to North Yorkshire County Council, which first secured funding five years ago and has recently faced design and safety complaints over the first phase of works completed in January.

The council – which is now reviewing designs for the final two phases – said the cycle path has so far been delivered to the expected costs and that it currently did not anticipate “any overspend”.

The project is part of a wider package of transport improvements for the west of Harrogate which once completed will cost around £4.6 million.

Around £2 million of this was allocated for the Otley Road cycle path, and so far £1.6 million has been spent on design, construction and utility costs, according to the council.

This is made up of £1.04 million on phase one and £559,182 on phase two which has yet to begin.

A council spokesperson said:

“Invoices are still due for phase one, and phase two has yet to be started therefore costs will increase, however we are on budget.”

‘No indication’ on phase three progress

Phase one and two are being funded by the government’s National Productivity Investment Fund, while phase three will be built using contributions from housing developers planning to build hundreds of new homes in the west of Harrogate.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said the campaign group had been given “no indication” of how these negotiations with developers were progressing and that this was a “worry” for when the project could be completed in full.

He added:

“The main issue for us is the time this project has taken already and with the further delays surely that means the costs are going to go up.

“Hopefully the council keeps within budget for the whole project and it gets delivered in full soon.”

His comments come after members of Harrogate District Cycle Action recently met with council officials to highlight their concerns over the first phase.

Parts of the completed works have been described as “unsafe” and “badly designed,” with a narrowed section of cycle path at Otley Road’s junction with Harlow Moor Road being a particular concern.

The council is currently in talks with Yorkshire Water to buy a small plot of land in order to remove a wall and widen a corner on this part of the route.

Otley Road cycle lane construction in December 2021.

The council also said it would take all feedback onboard as part of its review of phases two and three which are being redrawn in line with new government guidance.

Mr Douglas added:

“The higher quality cycle path we get, the more people will use it – that has always been our view as we want a scheme that delivers facilities which everyone can use.

“We also want lessons to be learnt from the first phase, and hopefully there is a genuine willingness to take on board the points we made.”

The council previously said it hoped to start work on phase two in April.

However, this is now likely to be in May or June.

Cycling group to meet council to raise concerns about Otley Road cycle path

Harrogate District Cycle Action will meet officers from North Yorkshire County Council next week to discuss concerns over the Otley Road cycle path.

Work has now been completed on the path from Harlow Moor Road to Arthurs Avenue in Harrogate. It is the first of three phases on Otley Road.

Kevin Douglas, chair of HDCA, told the Stray Ferret members of the group will meet council officers at Otley Road on Tuesday next week when they will share their positive and negative thoughts on the route.

Mr Douglas said he had ridden the path and described the experience as “mixed”.

He said:

“There are some good points and some things that need to be addressed, the best way to do that is meet them and talk them through it.

“The major Harlow Moor Road junction is not safe for pedestrians and cyclists. They have widened the road to make it better for cars. It’s a major concern.

Mr Douglas said he hoped the council would take on board its concerns for phase two, work on which is set to begin in April. Phase two will see the path extended from Arthurs Avenue to Beech Grove.

He added:

“Some people are concerned it switches from dedicated lane to shared use, that’s always going to be the case with tight space and not wanting to remove the trees. A shared use footpath is never as good as segregated.”

North Yorkshire County Council has reached an agreement with landowner Yorkshire Water to widen the path on Harlow Moor Road.

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager, said:

“The designers and project manager will be carrying out a walk through with the cycle group. We will of course listen to any concerns and act if necessary.”

Scrapping Pannal cycle lane ‘ludicrous’, says cycling group

A decision to scrap a legal agreement for a housing developer to build a cycle lane in Pannal has been described as “ludicrous”.

Bellway Homes had agreed to build the cycle lane on Leeds Road when its 128-home development at the former Dunlopillo factory site was approved by Harrogate Borough Council in 2017.

But the Section 106 agreement has now been scrapped by the council in favour of a £189,000 contribution from the developers after the cycle lane costs increased to almost £1m due to new government guidance on design standards.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, described the decision as “ludicrous” and said the developers should be made to fulfil their agreement.

He said:

“Councils are not always going to have this kind of money themselves so they should be ensuring developers who are building houses and bringing more people into the town provide the appropriate infrastructure we need.

“The cycle lane wasn’t a brilliant scheme in the first place, but at least it would have been something.”

‘We need these links’

Mr Douglas also said cycle links in outskirt areas like Pannal should be seen as a priority to make the most of larger projects including the £10.9 million Harrogate Gateway.

He added:

“Making improvements in the town centre will be great but we need these links in for people to get there.

“It’s very important that all these plans and projects connect together.”

The decision to scrap the agreement was made at a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee on Tuesday after a recommendation from officers.

Kate Broadbank, housing officer at the council, told the committee it “would not be reasonable” to make the developers build the cycle lane given the increased costs.

North Yorkshire County Council, which is responsible for highways, had also agreed to the decision prior to the meeting and is now drawing up proposals for wider improvements in Pannal using the £189,000 agreed alongside other contributions.

Paul Thornton, planning manager at Bellway Homes, said the company believed these wider plans would be of more benefit to the area.

He said:

“The proposed commuted sum will be used to help fund wider improvements along the A61 which will ultimately benefit residents of Pannal and the wider district.

“We believe the funding provided through the amended Section 106 contribution will be far more beneficial than progressing a standalone scheme.”

Don’t judge Otley Road cycle path until its complete, says campaign group

Harrogate District Cycle Action has urged people to hold judgement on the new Otley Road cycle path until it is completed in full.

The first phase of the long-delayed Harrogate cycle path between Harlow Moor Road and Arthurs Avenue was due for completion last week but has now been pushed back again until 21 February 2022.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said while the campaign group had raised some concerns over the works completed so far, people would only see the full benefits when all three phases of the project are completed.

He said:

“This is only one phase and a very small part of the whole project.

“What we wanted to see was a scheme that was going to be an exemplar for other cycle routes and at the moment we haven’t got that because it is only part of the bigger picture.

“When the whole thing is done it should be better and encourage more people to cycle and walk.”

The cycle path is part of a wider package of sustainable transport measures for Harrogate, which will cost around £4.6 million once completed.

Funding was first secured by North Yorkshire County Council in 2017 and there have since been several delays involving utility and construction works.

There have also been drawn-out discussions with the Duchy of Lancaster – the owners of the Stray – over the use of grass verges protected by law.

Despite the long-awaited progress on the first phase, the county council has said it is still unable to say when the project could be completed in full.

It said phase two could start in April and that the final phase connecting Cardale Park relies on developer funding, which is currently being worked on and will lead to more detailed planning, including a feasibility study.

Junction concerns

The concerns raised by Harrogate District Cycle Action over the first phase involve changes to Otley Road’s junction with Harlow Moor Road, as well as priority for pedestrians.

Mr Douglas said the campaign group would soon meet with council officers to highlight the issues.

He said:

“We said right at the beginning that this is one of the most difficult parts of Otley Road to work on. There are constraints and we acknowledge that.

“But the Harlow Moor Road junction has been widened to allow traffic through which is frustrating and has narrowed the turning for pedestrians and cyclists.”

Mr Douglas added:

“With all the delays that are going on we will keep pressing the council which should have been doing one phase and then straight onto the next one.

“I couldn’t see them doing a new road scheme in this way – they just wouldn’t do it.”

Read more:

Read more:

Backlash to previous Oatlands Drive plans

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‘Needs to be completed’

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Walking the route

Council’s response.

‘No indication’ on phase three progress

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Read more:

‘We need these links’

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Read more:

Junction concerns