Beech Grove was supposed to be the centre of a new cycle network in Harrogate from Cardale Park to the train station.

It would link cycle routes on Otley Road and Victoria Avenue, encouraging people in the west of Harrogate to travel in and out of town on bikes.

So this week’s decision to re-open the road to through traffic came as an unwelcome surprise to cyclists and left many wondering when the much-vaunted active travel measures for the town would actually be active.

It is now five years since North Yorkshire County Council secured funding for the Otley Road route. So far a third of it has been built, hardly to a fanfare of applause.

Two years ago the county council also successfully bid for funding to create cycle routes on Oatlands Drive and Victoria Avenue in Harrogate and on Harrogate Road in Knaresborough.

The Oatlands scheme has been shelved and there appears to be little prospect of work starting soon on the other projects.

Beech Grove

Some people hailed the council’s decision not to extend the 18-month Beech Grove experiment as a victory for common sense.

Former headteacher Dennis Richards said it was a well intentioned but half-baked proposal that turned nearby Victoria Road into a racetrack as motorists sought alternative routes.

There were plans to extend traffic calming measures into Victoria Road.

But active travel supporters were left gloomy about the prospect of progress on schemes to make Harrogate more cycle friendly and reduce the carbon footprint.

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

“We are very disappointed. We knew nothing about the fact that they were going to take this decision.

“If you bid for these funds, you have to deliver them.”

Mr Douglas described Beech Grove as a “key link” in the plans to develop cycling in Harrogate. Without it, he said the Otley Road scheme lost much of its value.

Otley Road

The council introduced the experimental order in February last year and Mr Douglas said this gave it 18 months to resolve any issues.

The council had talked about making Victoria Road one way and creating a wider low traffic neighbourhood but any plans appear to be back at square one. Several cyclists took to Twitter to vent their frustration.

Terrible decision by N Yorkshire. Worse that the 1st major decision by new Executive Member for Access Keane Duncan is to give a thumbs down to active travel, and the green light to rat-running traffic. It shows a lack of backbone & failure to commit to active travel.

— Hedgehog Cycling (@HedgehogCycling) August 4, 2022

So does the end of the Beech Grove experiment spell the end of plans to develop cycling in the area? It would appear not.

A council spokeswoman said:

“This information and feedback will allow us the opportunity to bring forward a detailed and coordinated plan, connecting active travel initiatives such as Otley Road and Station Gateway together as planned.

“We will involve residents and interested parties as we draw up plans for a wider package of permanent measures, which we plan to consult in September.”

But the prospect of another round of consultation doesn’t thrill cyclists who are desperate to see progress.

Mr Douglas said:

“What we need is less consultation and more action.”

Read more:

• Beech Grove road closure in Harrogate to end in 10 days
• Ex-Harrogate headteacher welcomes end to ‘dangerous’ Beech Grove closure

New data has revealed the Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood has had a dramatic impact on traffic on nearby roads — but the number of cyclists using it remains around three an hour.

North Yorkshire County Council closed the Harrogate road, which connects the A61 and Otley Road, to through traffic in February, initially for a six-month trial. It later extended the trial to 18 months.

The move aimed to reduce traffic and encourage cycling and walking on the road, which runs alongside the Stray. Beech Grove was chosen because it would connect to other planned cycle schemes in the town.

But some residents and motorists were angered by the sudden loss of the thoroughfare and said it would just push traffic elsewhere.

The council has released new data about the controversial LTN following a freedom of information request from the Stray Ferret. The council’s press office had refused to provide the information, saying it wanted to wait until the trial had ended.

The council also provided a letter sent in October to residents living close to the LTN. The letter includes data that reveals road traffic has reduced on Beech Grove by as much as 85% since the closure.

The council compared current data with a traffic count on the road undertaken in 2015 that found, on average, 2,712 vehicles a day used its mid-point.

Displaced traffic

The data addresses the question of whether the closure has pushed traffic onto nearby roads.

An automatic traffic counter on Victoria Road found there has been a 230% increase in vehicles using the northern section since the LTN was introduced. In February, 300 vehicles a day used the road. The number increased to 1,058 a day in April then fell slightly in subsequent months.

Information by North Yorkshire County Council. AADT stands for annual average daily traffic.

Queens Road has also seen the number of vehicles using it double from around 500 to over 1,000 a day.

However, in the letter sent to residents the council disputed claims that Cold Bath Road has born the brunt of displaced traffic from the LTN. It said its traffic counter found “no evidence” to support the suggestion that traffic levels have increased.

It said around 8,500 vehicles used Cold Bath Road a day pre-covid 2019 and the number had fallen to 7,200 in 2021. However, it added the the latest numbers from August this year suggested traffic had now returned to pre-covid levels.

Read more:

• Beech Grove closure officially extended until August 2022
• Beech Grove closure to remain in place, despite petition objecting

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

The number of cyclists using the Beech Grove LTN remains between two to three an hour, although the number increased in November.

North Yorkshire County Council does not record what time of day cyclists use the road and only has the figures for a 24-hour period.

In August 2020, before the LTN was introduced, around 50 cyclists used the road each day. This has stayed broadly the same throughout 2021.

Council officers believe the automatic traffic count numbers are “light” compared to casual observations they have made when visiting the LTN. The council said it planned to conduct manual surveys on this.

Information by North Yorkshire County Council

Conservative county councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said:

“We are committed to encouraging active travel, easing congestion and improving air quality in Harrogate. Experimental traffic restrictions on Beech Grove and Lancaster Road will run until August 2022. At that point we will compile an extensive report of cyclist data which will span the 18-month period to paint a full comprehensive picture.

“We will consider this alongside the consultation responses, vehicle data, ongoing site observations and other active travel measures in Harrogate before a formal decision will be taken on the way forward.

“Other schemes such as the Otley Road cycle route, the Station Gateway project and the Active Travel Fund proposals for Victoria Avenue are all at various stages of design and construction so when work is complete we anticipate a further increase in cycling.

“A reduction in traffic levels on Beech Grove has resulted in a reduction in the speed of vehicles and an increase in cyclists. More people are likely to cycle – for both commuting and leisure – when improved infrastructure is in place that reduces conflict with vehicles.”