North Yorkshire County Council’s leadership has defended itself amid claims that its largely older male membership has not experienced the impacts of motorists speeding through market towns and villages.

Knaresborough councillor Hannah Gostlow and Selby member Melanie Ann Davis told a meeting of the authority’s transport scrutiny committee action to tackle road safety in built-up areas was being limited due to the executive having different experiences to those of women, people with pushchairs and young people.

The council’s 10-member executive features two women and the majority of its members are aged above 50.

The meeting examining road safety and the introduction of 20mph zones in built-up areas also heard claims North Yorkshire Police were routinely failing to tackle motorcyclists as well as refusing to enforce 20mph zones.

The meeting heard while road incidents in the county had seen 36 people killed in 2020 and 37 the year before, motorcyclists had accounted for seven of the deaths in 2020 and 11 in 2019, which represented a far higher proportion than the volume of motorbikes on North Yorkshire’s roads.

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Councillors heard the council had been examining the decision to make Wales one of the first countries in the world to introduce legislation to have a 20mph speed limit on roads where cars mix with pedestrians and cyclists.

Cllr Gostlow told the committee the majority of people supporting the Welsh move had been women and those with young families and that North Yorkshire’s executive lacked the experience of walking on narrow paths beside busy roads.

She said the executive needed to listen to grass roots views rather than “deal down from the top”, adding: 

“I am worried that the executive do not represent the people who are going to benefit.”

Cllr Davis agreed, saying the “car was king because it represents economic power” and that the views of women and young people were being overlooked.

After the meeting, the authority’s leader, Cllr Carl Les said he did his best to balance the executive in terms of gender, between retired people and those in work and in terms of geographical coverage.

He said: 

“I think we are all road users and represent those people in our communities and I wouldn’t say it has any adverse effect on our decisions.”

Mobile cameras ‘effective’

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said its mobile safety cameras were effective when used on any vehicle, including motorbikes.

The force said it had publicised a significant amount of prosecutions involving motorcyclists, including riders who have been recorded exceeding 120mph and riders who have been prosecuted for various dangerous driving offences.

The spokesperson added: 

“Independent research by Newcastle University has found that North Yorkshire Police’s mobile safety cameras have reduced casualties by 20 per cent in the areas they’ve been deployed to.

“The force decides where to deploy cameras based on lots of different factors around risk and safety. These include data about previous collisions, demand from communities and even the weather.

“We never consider locations based on the revenue they could generate. This is a common misconception, but finances are made publicly available every year. The figures clearly show that some years the service costs slightly more to run than it generates, and other years vice versa.

“Residents frequently raise concerns about speeding in their communities specifically request mobile safety cameras, which we’ve deployed on a wide range of roads including village high streets, outside schools, suburban routes, main roads and rural roads.”

Rainbows have designed a Stop, Look and Listen banner to display on the gates of Saltergate School.

It was one of a series of activities undertaken by members of 5th Harrogate Rainbows to help them learn about road safety.

As part of the initiative, Lauren Doherty, who lives in Knaresborough and uses her own experience of a traffic accident to educate people about road safety, gave a talk to the group.

The banner was the Rainbows’ final assignment and will encourage others to take road safety more seriously.

Samantha Suttle, leader of 5th Harrogate Rainbows, said”

“We hope this will help all children and adults stay safe when crossing the road. Well done Rainbows!”

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Safety concerns relating to parking and vehicle movements close to two Ripon primary schools have prompted the city council to seek remedies.

Highways authority, North Yorkshire County Council, is being approached with a request to put double yellow lines on Highfield Road, close to the junction with Lead Lane.

A request is also being made for a 7.5 tonnes weight limit to be put in place on Quarry Moor Lane.

Greystone Outwood Academy Primary School is on the busy Quarry Moor Lane.

At last week’s full meeting of the city council, leader Andrew Williams, said:

“I am concerned that parents dropping off and collecting children from Moorside Primary School are creating problems for both pedestrians and other motorists, by parking close to the Highfield Road/Lead Lane junction.

“I have checked on the junction at the start of the school day and at school closing time when the junction is busy with cars parked on either side of the road and sight lines are affected, increasing the risk of an accident.”

Following a request from a resident living in Quarry Moor Lane, the council agreed that a weight limit on the road, which runs past Outwood Primary Academy Greystone, would reduce the risk for pupils attending the school.

Currently, heavy goods vehicles are able to use Quarry Moor en-route to and from the Dallamires Lane Industrial Estate.

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North Yorkshire Police has launched its Christmas campaign to tackle drink and drug driving.

The campaign, which runs until January 1, will see traffic officers conduct around the clock patrols and breath testing.

Every year, about 1,400 people are arrested across the county for drink and drug driving. The number increases during the festive period.

Sergeant Andy Morton said:

“A lot of people think police are just interested in catching and arresting as many people as possible for drink or drug driving over the festive period. And whilst this is true to an extent, the main priority for us is to keep people alive.

“We want to catch people who take serious risks by breaking the law in this way. Drink and drug driving kills. It’s that simple. We want you to live and be at home with your loved ones this Christmas.”

According to a police press release, there are often misconceptions about how much you can legally drink and drive. The legal limit is different for everyone, depending on factors such as age, size and the type and amount of alcohol being consumed.

In England, the blood limit is 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. But police advise people not to drink and drive at all.

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York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership is working with the police, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and other partner agencies to warn motorists of the dangers of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

North Yorkshire County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said:

In the fourth of a series of articles on crime issues in the Harrogate district, candidates standing to be North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner are questioned on how to stop speeding. 

Commissioner candidates vying to become North Yorkshire’s next Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner say they would launch a hard-hitting educational campaign, pressure for more 20mph limits and even consider drafting in firefighters to help tackle residents’ number one concern – speeding.

Ahead of the residents of York and North Yorkshire going to the polls on Thursday to decide who gets the £74,00-a-year role, the five candidates wanting to succeed Philip Allott, who resigned last month amid controversy, have spoken of their determination to get to grips with road safety enforcement and education.

During his time in the role Mr Allott enlisted academics to help tackle speeding on more than 6,000 miles of roads and in 800 villages, saying demand for enforcement was outstripping police resources.

Most of the 72 county councillors agree speeding, and in particular through villages, is the most common issue that residents raise with them.

Pressure is growing for urgent work to take place to improve the state of some of Ripon’s busiest roads.

Ripon City Council voted unanimously last night to write to North Yorkshire County Council calling for resurfacing work to be carried out as a matter of urgency.

The principal areas of concern are parts of the Market Place roads where block paving has lifted and cracked because of the volume of traffic.

North Yorkshire County Council has carried out temporary repairs by putting tarmac over the worst-affected sections, leaving the surface looking like a patchwork quilt.

Councillors want to see comprehensive repairs to the city centre roads, as Market Square is the focal point of entertainment and activities, including the weekly Thursday and Saturday markets.

At last night’s meeting, two Conservative county councillors joined independent city councillors to call for urgent repairs.

Councillor Stuart Martin, who is chairman of North Yorkshire County Council, and Cllr Mike Chambers, are also Ripon city and Harrogate district councillors.

They said they have been pushing for repairs to the Market Place East and West roads and other roads in the city.

Councillors say roads around Ripon Market Square are unfit and unsafe

Speaking about the long-term calls for repairs, Cllr Martin, who represents Ripon South on North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“You can’t defend the indefensible. We have been consulting about the east and west carriageways for some time and they need to be sorted out.”

Cllr Chambers, who represents Ripon North at County Hall, added

“We have been pushing for repairs to the road surfaces and will continue to do so.”

The county councillors were responding to a call from city council leader Andrew Williams for North Yorkshire County Council to use reserve funds to pay for work.

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Last week, in response to Stray Ferret questions about the state of city centre roads, Barrie Mason, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for highways and transportation, said:

“Ripon Market Place is being considered for future funding within our forward programme for 2022/23.

“A number of the areas of most concern are associated with poorly performing utility reinstatements and we are seeking urgent action on these from the companies concerned.”

But Cllr Williams told last night’s meeting:

“We can’t wait until next year. The roads around Market Square are unfit, unsafe for motorists, cyclist and pedestrians and unacceptable.”

The square will also be a key venue for next year’s events celebrating the queen’s platinum jubilee.

Independent Ripon councillors have accused North Yorkshire County Council of getting its road repairs priorities wrong.

They have asked the highway authority to explain the rationale behind resurfacing rural lay-bys instead of repairing city centre roads.

Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret:

“Along a 16-mile stretch of road between Hawes and Leyburn, lay-bys have been re-surfaced to a very high standard, while many roads in Ripon are in desperate need of major work.

Pictured above is one of the recently re-surfaced lay-bys on the A684 Hawes to Leyburn Road and below is a section of Market Place East in Ripon

Barrie Mason, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for highways and transportation, said:

 “The improvement work to lay-bys is funded by the government’s Safer Roads Fund, which has the aim of reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on the county’s roads.

“The Safer Roads Fund can only be used on certain roads within the county which meet the strict government criteria and is not to be used for routine maintenance.

“We have a comprehensive programme of planned maintenance schemes based on annual surveys of the whole road network that has produced a long-term trend of improving road condition.

“Ripon Market Place is being considered for future funding within our forward programme for 2022/23.

“A number of the areas of most concern are associated with poorly performing utility reinstatements and we are seeking urgent action on these from the companies concerned.”

Cllr Pauline McHardy said:

“We want all roads in the county to be safe and it is my view that the four roads around Market Place and other parts of the city centre are a danger to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, because of the state they are in.”

Her fellow city and Harrogate district council colleague, Sid Hawke, added:

“We keep asking for proper repairs to be done and while we wait, the road surfaces get worse and worse by the day.”

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For next year, Ripon is planning a major programme of events to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

Mayor of Ripon, Cllr Eamon Parkin, said:

“I just hope that the roads in and around the city centre have been fixed by then.”

Ripon City Council is calling for a 500-homes reduction in the size of the barracks development.

The 1,300-dwelling Clotherholme scheme proposed by Homes England, has raised concerns about the impact of more vehicles on Ripon’s roads.

City council leader Andrew Williams, told the Stray Ferret:

“We support comprehensive redevelopment of the former barracks site and welcome the much-needed new and affordable homes it will bring.

“However, we believe that to avoid traffic gridlock in Ripon, numbers need to be scaled back to 800.”

Residents living on Kirkby Road are among those concerned about the traffic that the Clotherholme development will generate.

The call for reduced numbers was supported at a recent special meeting of the city council.

Councillors also approved spending on a further report from Ripon-based traffic, highways and transport engineering consultant David Walpole.

When the Ripon Neighbourhood Plan was being drawn up, it was envisaged that the barracks site would provide space for 800 new homes.

The site, encompassing Claro Barracks, Deverell Barracks and Laver Banks, initially included 11 hectares earmarked for employment uses.

After the allocation of land for employment uses was reduced, Homes England sought outline planning approval for a 1,300-home scheme.

A transport assessment prepared in support of the development, was described as ‘flawed’ by Ripon City Council.

It claimed it fails to address core issues local residents have raised.

City councillor Mike Chambers, who is also Harrogate Borough Council‘s cabinet member for homes and safer communities and a North Yorkshire county councillor, said:

“There are clearly traffic issues that need to be looked at.

“We want to work with Homes England and planners to achieve the best possible result for the people of Ripon.”

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Kirkby Road will be the principal route linking the Clotherholme development with the city centre.

Residents living there, including members of the Ripon Residents Action Group, have consistently lobbied for road improvements ahead of the construction of new housing.

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan has awarded £80,000 to road safety schemes in the Harrogate district.

The projects have been part-funded by the sale of the force’s historic AJ1 number plate.

Communities, parish and town councils were invited to put forward projects that improved road safety for children and young people, cyclists, motorcyclists and older road users.

Applications exceeded by four-times the amount available.

In total, £350,000 was awarded to 81 schemes across North Yorkshire, with the following projects in the Harrogate district amongst them:

• £20,000 to make it safer to walk to Woodfield Community Primary School in Bilton.
• £13,000 to improve lighting on the River Ure bridge in Boroughbridge.
• £3,000 for an LED speed light sign in Spofforth.
• £4,000 for traffic calming measures in North Rigton.
• £2,750 for traffic calming measures in Follifoot.
• £19,000 to help reduce speeding in Scotton.
• £2,000 for a chicane in Sicklinghall.
• £3,000 for a pedestrian island on the A61 in Pannal.
• £1,000 for an LED speed light sign in Boroughbridge.
• £2,000 for a speed sign in Minskip.
• £2,000 for speed control measures in Burton Leonard.
• £1,000 for improving road safety in Dacre.
• £500 to improve road safety in Flaxby.
• £3,500 for a speed limit reminder in Masham.
• £500 to improve a pavement in Masham.
• £900 for a mobile speed sign in Pateley Bridge.
• £1,300 for a considerate driving campaign in Kirkby Malzeard.

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The majority of funding came from the sale of the AJ1 number plate, which was the first registered number plate in North Yorkshire and had been used by every chief constable since 1907.  It sold at auction in 2019 for £243,000.

A total of £190,000 of this was earmarked for the road safety scheme, as well as £165,000 from community funds held by Ms Mulligan’s office.

Ms Mulligan said:

““Although the AJ1 numberplate will always have a historical connection to North Yorkshire Police, the impact these schemes will have confirms why it was right to use the value of the registration mark to make a real impact on people’s lives.

“These projects will improve lives – and I am sure they will also save lives – by making our roads and the communities they pass through safer for people however they use them.”

Ripon City Council has asked North Yorkshire County Council to approve its request for 14 vehicle activated speed signs.

The county council, which is the highways authority, has the ultimate say over where the signs can be placed.

It has indicated it will approve use of the signs, which are intended to encourage drivers to obey speed restrictions rather than punish them, on no more than eight Ripon streets.

But Ripon councillors have identified 14 hotspots for the traffic-calming measure and hope they will all be approved.

The signs show drivers their speed and whether they are going too fast. The cost of adapting each lamp post to include a sign is £500 plus VAT.

Paula Benson, clerk to Ripon City Council, told February’s full council meeting the county council had said it was prepared to approve the use of the signs on no more than eight Ripon streets.

Councillors voted unanimously to call on the county council to approve more locations.

They also said that if additional money was required for signs and installation it should come from the city council.

City, Harrogate district and county councillor, Stuart Martin, said:

“Members of the public have told us where these signs are needed.

“We should stick with the locations that have been identified and requested.”

Council leader Andrew Williams added:

“Ripon is not a small village, it’s a growing city with more traffic and therefore increased risk to pedestrians.”

Whitcliffe Lane – one of 14 locations on the city council list for a speed awareness sign.

Because the signs are mobile, they can be moved around the city and put in selected traffic hotspots for a few weeks at a time.

Councillor Pauline McHardy, said:

“It’s a way of educating motorists driving in different parts of Ripon, by making them aware of their speed.”

Among the locations on the city council list is Kirkby Road, where residents have likened a 300-metre stretch with no white lines to a ‘race track’.

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Across the city, Whitcliffe Lane has also been put forward as a street in need of a speed sign.

The lane is alongside a new housing development at the former Ripon Cathedral Choir School site, which has increased traffic.

This situation is being repeated in other parts of Ripon, where new housing schemes are coming on stream.