Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning. It’s Suzannah with you today giving you updates every 15 minutes on the roads and rail links near to you.

The live blogs, brought to you by The HACS Groups, aim to keep the Harrogate district moving.

If there is anything going on on your doorstep please give us a call on 01423 276197. Or you can continue to let us know on social media and via contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

9am – Full Update

That’s it from me today, I’ll be back from 6.30am tomorrow.

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Trains

Buses

8.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

8.15am – Full Update

Roads

Traffic Hotspots:

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

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots to report yet.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building here:

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Roads are looking ok so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

Temporary traffic lights are in place here:

Trains

Buses

 

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning and happy Wednesday. It’s Suzannah here with you this morning bringing your road and rail updates every 15 minutes.

These live blogs, brought to you by The HACS Group, aim to keep the Harrogate district moving.

A number of temporary traffic lights are in place across the district today, due to roadworks, so be aware of slight delays.

Keep us posted on social media and via contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

9am – Full Update 

That’s it from me this morning. Leah will be back with you tomorrow morning for 6.30.

Have a lovely day.

Roads

Remember Harlow Moor Road is closed at its junction with Otley Road, until April 21.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

8.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Remember Harlow Moor Road is closed at its junction with Otley Road, until April 21.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Remember Harlow Moor Road is closed at its junction with Otley Road, until April 21.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

8.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Remember Harlow Moor Road is closed at its junction with Otley Road, until April 21.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

Remember Harlow Moor Road is closed at its junction with Otley Road, until April 21.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Remember Harlow Moor Road is closed at its junction with Otley Road, until April 21.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Remember Harlow Moor Road is closed at its junction with Otley Road, until April 21.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

7.15am – Full Update

Roads

Traffic is building here:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update

Roads

Remember Harlow Moor Road is closed at its junction with Otley Road, until April 21.

Traffic is building here:

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads continue to look clear this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

Remember Harlow Moor Road is closed at its junction with Otley Road, until April 21.

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking clear so far this morning, no traffic hotspots yet.

Remember Harlow Moor Road is closed at its junction with Otley Road, until April 21.

Temporary lights in place:

Trains

Buses

 

Ambitious bid to reinstate Harrogate – Ripon – Northallerton trainline

Plans to reinstate a trainline Harrogate, Ripon and Northallerton are once again back on the table.

Dr Beeching axed the line in the late 1960s but it is a candidate in the government’s new ‘Restoring Your Railway Fund.’ The Department for Transport (DfT) launched the fund in January.

Harrogate – Ripon – Northallerton is one of 195 bids. So far 25 have been successful. It means that those projects will be given money towards feasability studies.

The government announced on Friday that it will deliver on the first Restoring Your Railways scheme in Devon.

If the plans went ahead it could be one of the biggest ever investments in the Harrogate district. Some expert estimates put the potential cost as high as £500 million.

This is not the first time that these proposals have cropped up and it may prove to be problematic. Homes have been built on some parts of the track and on Ripon’s former train station.

Former Ripon mayor Dr Adrian Morgan is a keen supporter of the plans. He has been fighting for reinstatement for the last 34 years and told the Stray Ferret:

“I will keep slogging away at this but it probably will not happen in my lifetime. Back in 2006 it would have cost up to £46 million but that price has gone up since then.

“Now it costs around £20 million per mile of track so we are looking at around £500 million to reinstate the Harrogate – Ripon – Northallerton line.

“This might sound like a lot but when you start rebuilding bridges, embankments and laying track the cost soon adds up.”

Read more:

The project has broad support from North Yorkshire County Council, Ripon City Council and Kevin Hollinrake MP.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, also told the Stray Ferret:

“There has been a campaign to restore the Harrogate – Ripon – Northallerton line for many years, we would be supportive of that.

“It would not be a small job. It is a medium to long term project so it would take between five and 30 years.

“Any move to take traffic off of the busy roads would be good news. But we do need realistic, it would take a lot of work.”

Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of Ripon City Council, told the Stray Ferret how this line could be good news for Ripon in particular:

“This certainly has the broad support of the city council. It would be economically beneficial.

“The lack of a train line was cited as the main reason why Ripon lost the teacher training college in the 1990s.

“It would be also very important as a way to bring more tourists in the city. I say broad support because it would be unfair if it impacted those who had homes on the line.”

Kevin Hollinrake, the MP for Thirsk and Malton, also said:

“I am very supportive of the bid to re-open the Leeds to Northallerton Railway Line, a section of which would run through my constituency of Thirsk and Malton.

“Local transport connections are key to boosting regional economic activity by attracting new business and creating new jobs in the region.

“It would make the journey from Leeds to Northallerton 13 miles shorter and could also provide an emergency diversion between York and Northallerton.”

Highway boss’s ‘major concern’ over one-lane traffic option for Station Parade

The highways boss at North Yorkshire County Council has expressed “major concerns” that reducing traffic to one lane outside Harrogate train station could cause long queues on the surrounding streets.

The road changes have been proposed for Station Parade as part of the £7.9m Harrogate Gateway project.  It could also include a ban on cars on James Street with the aim of creating a more pedestrian and cycle friendly entrance to the town.

The project has received a mixed reaction -a petition against it  has raised concerns that reducing road space for cars could be bad for business and lengthen queues – and councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member of access, says himself and other highway officials have their own worries.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee yesterday, he said:

“Whilst we can see huge advantages in creating a very pedestrian and cycle-friendly area in front of the railway station by reducing it to one lane, a major concern, for me personally also, is the effects that this will have on southbound A61 traffic.

“The last thing we want is to cause major hold-ups down down Cheltenham Parade and Ripon Road – and standing traffic with engines ticking over is very bad for air quality.”

A public consultation on the proposals is underway and the council has stressed that no decision on the road changes has yet been taken.

There are two options on the table for Station Parade – leave it as two lanes of traffic or reduce it to one. Meanwhile, the partial or full pedestrianisation of James Street is also being considered, as well as an option to leave it untouched.

Other measures include two new bus priority areas at Lower Station Parade and Cheltenham Parade, junction upgrades, new cycle lanes and storage, as well as an increase in safe space for people on foot, new flexible public events spaces and water features.

Read more:

The aim is to make the town more accessible by bike or on foot and while liberal democrat councillor Philip Broadbank, who represents the Starbeck division, said “this is the right way forward,” he also has concerns over the impact on traffic flow.

He told yesterday’s meeting:

“The general direction is one we need to go in if we are going to encourage people to get out of the car for short journeys. But there are all sorts of things in there – some good schemes, some things questionable.

“I have concerns about one lane because of possible congestion and would personally prefer the two lane option.”

Meanwhile, conservative councillor Paul Haslam, who represents the Bilton and Nidd Gorge division, said he believes the longer queue times for motorists would be “minimal” and argued they would be outweighed by the benefits to pedestrians and cyclists.

Councillor Mackenzie added:

“There are major issues here to resolve but certainly views of the public are what we are looking for.

“People don’t like change and I think already we are seeing a fairly strong campaign being mounted in stopping any of these proposals going forward. But for me, I think they are really excellent and I am looking forward to helping drive them forward.”

The consultation will run until 24 March and the aim is to finalise designs for construction to begin by summer 2022 with completion in 2023.

To have your say click here.

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning and welcome back to our live updates on traffic and travel in the Harrogate district.

Whether you travel by car, bus or train we will keep an eye out for any possible disruption to your journey. All brought to you by The HACS Group.

It’s Connor again back on the travel desk from 6.30am. Spotted an accident or a road closure? Send your updates to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

If traffic is moving well or it’s at a standstill then we will let you know with our updates every 15 minutes.

9am – Full Update 

Another morning of live traffic has come to a close. We hope you find this service helpful. Do let us know if you have any updates we may have missed and see you again bright and early from 6.30am tomorrow.

Roads

Congestion is heavy in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

8.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Congestion is heavy in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Congestion is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

8.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Congestion is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

7.45am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

7.15am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is building in these areas:

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate for carriageway repairs.

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads look clear so far this morning but there are some areas likely to cause delays later on.

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

6.45am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads look clear so far this morning but there are some areas likely to cause delays later on.

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads look clear so far this morning but there are some areas likely to cause delays later on.

Be aware of a continuing road closure on Dishforth Road, near Ripon, going both ways from New Road to Strait Lane.

Temporary traffic lights in place:

There are also continuing road closures in the Old Barber and Franklin Road areas of Harrogate.

Trains

Buses

Cycling and crime concerns raised at Station Gateway consultation

The first consultation event into Harrogate’s Station Gateway project last night saw  concerns raised about the need for more cycling lanes as well as an increase in anti-social behaviour.

The online event enabled people to ask questions about the £7.8 million town centre project, which is being funded from the government’s £317 million Transforming Cities Fund.

Representatives from Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, as well as engineering consultants, discussed the plans and answered questions.

If the current proposals are approved, the area around the town’s bus and train stations on Station Parade will look vastly different.

Traffic would be reduced a single lane to create more space for cycling, walking and public transport.

How Station Parade might look under the new Station Gateway proposals.

One member of the public asked if the design and reduced amount of traffic would increase anti-social behaviour.

Aidan Rayner, Transforming Cities Fund delivery project manager at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“One of the main parts of this proposal is to improve public experience. We don’t believe that these plans would impact public safety”.

Read more:

Another member of the public asked what evidence there was to support the increased demand for cycling. In response, Matthew Roberts an economy and transport officer at Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Increasing recognition of the climate emergency and the need to make healthier choices is generating more demand. Faster cycling routes, I think, will mean more will choose to cycle.

“We have 79,000 people living within a 20-minute cycle ride to the town centre.”

Mr Roberts said high streets were changing and Harrogate needed to adapt to continue attracting visitors.

Those behind the proposals said the suggestions at the event would be taken forward in further discussions.

A second public consultation is due to take place next week on March 10.

The plans will then be considered in detail before work begins. Mr Rayner said he hoped construction could begin in spring next year.

He added disruption would be limited as much as possible.

What’s your view of the Station Gateway proposal? Email letters@thestrayferret.co.uk with your thoughts and we may include it on our letters page, Stray Views, published each Sunday.

Woodfield school receives £28,500 to improve street safety

Woodfield Community Primary School in Harrogate has been awarded £28,500 to improve road safety.

Speed limits either side of the school will be reviewed, the crossing, beacons and barriers will be upgraded and other traffic calming measures introduced.

Jo Marwood, headteacher of Woodfield Community Primary School, welcomed the news.

She said:

“This is great news for the pupils, families and the wider community of Woodfield Community Primary School.

“Many of our families walk to school and have welcomed the news that the grant will help make Woodfield Road a safer place for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.”

North Yorkshire Police, Crime and Fire Commissioner’s AJ1 Project Road Safety Fund has awarded £20,000 towards the scheme.

The other £8,500 will come from county councillor Paul Haslam’s locality budget for local projects.

Work is expected to begin early next year.

Read more:

Primary school road safety has been a major issue in the Harrogate district recently.

In September, Tim Broad, headteacher of Western Primary School, said some people were taking risks crossing the busy Cold Bath Road at pick-up and drop-off times to avoid crowding at the nearby pelican crossing.

During the same month Sarah Bassitt, headteacher of Killinghall Church of England Primary School called for urgent speed measures in Killinghall before a child is killed or seriously injured.

There is a national project gaining momentum called School Streets, which bans vehicles from outside school gates during pick-up and drop-off times.

North Yorkshire County Council has not said it will introduce School Streets but its Open Harrogate project, which encourages active travel, confirmed on Twitter the possibility is being explored.

£589m invested into northern railways

A £589 million investment has been announced to start works to upgrade and electrify the Transpennine main line between Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester.

This is the first stage of investment to streamline the northern route. The investment is for design and enabling works to take place.

This stage will include partial electrification of the route, a new through platform at Huddersfield, and about eight miles of extra four-tracking. The introduction of four tracks in some areas will allow fast trains to overtake slower ones and improve journey times and reliability for passengers across the North.

A new Northern Transport Acceleration Council will also be established to encourage better connection across Northern towns and cities. It will also give northern leaders a direct line to ministers to try to give passengers a reliable transport network.

Brian Dunsby from the Harrogate Line Supporters Group, said:

“We welcome any investment in the north it will be beneficial for commuters from Harrogate. We need the lines electrified around Harrogate, so I welcome announcements of this type but we’ll have to see the lines included in works as further announcements are made. A northern council is a positive step as long as they listen to the northern business community and local lobby groups.”

The council will be made up of mayors and council leaders and be chaired by Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary.

Read more:

The plans also include upgrades to replace thousands of diesel lorry journeys with electric freight trains.

This investment comes after Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed over £720m investment in local transport in the North through the Transforming Cities Fund.