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20
Oct 2022
Cycling and walking plans ‘not a top priority’ for county council, says campaign group
A campaign group has claimed that improvements for cycling and walking in Harrogate are not a top priority for the county council which has revealed more delays for key projects.
Kevin Douglas, chair of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said transport officials have found more time for infrastructure upgrades for cars than active travel.
His comments come after North Yorkshire County Council announced it is preparing to launch a consultation on plans for Oatlands Drive and phase two of the Otley Road cycle path which now won’t be built until at least next summer.
Mr Douglas said the latest delays were “incredibly frustrating” and that it is now “vital” that progress is made.
He said:
Read More:
- New plans to promote cycling in Harrogate to be revealed on Monday
- ‘Nightmare’ and ‘flawed’: Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle path under further fire
- County council rejects Station Gateway contingency funding request
This coming Monday will see the launch of the long-awaited consultation on new proposals for Oatlands Drive after original plans for a one-way traffic system were scrapped after a backlash from residents.
This came after government funding for the scheme was awarded in November 2020.
But the delays for the Otley Road cycle path stretch back much further after the project first secured cash in 2017.
Five years on, the first phase of the route has yet to be completed as some sections need to be rebuilt, whilst final designs for phase two have not been revealed.
Councillor Keane Duncan, executive member for highways at the county council, said three design options are being considered for the second phase and that the consultation results will be presented in November. He said:
Councillor Duncan added:
The first phase of the Otley Road cycle path opened at the start of this year, but some sections are to be rebuilt following safety complaints. This includes the junction with Harlow Moor Road, although the county council has yet to purchase a plot of land to make the junction bigger.
Under other active travel projects, plans for a 7km cycleway in Knaresborough and other improvements in Ripon were shelved altogether in the summer when a bid for £1.5 million in government cash was rejected.
Consultations on final designs for cycling and walking improvements on Harrogate’s Victoria Avenue and the A59 near Knaresborough have also been pushed back until at least the New Year.
And there have been further setbacks for Harroagte’s Gateway project which has been hit by a legal threat.
This sparked a third consultation on the £11.2 million project and over 2,000 responses were received in summer ahead of a pending decision from the county council on whether to submit a final business case for funding.
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