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12
Apr 2021
Last chance to have your say on Harrogate travel schemes
Today is the last chance to have your say on plans to overhaul three highways in the Harrogate district to give greater priority for cyclists and pedestrians.
North Yorkshire County Council is behind the schemes for Victoria Avenue, Oatlands Drive and the A59 near Knaresborough, which are being backed by the government’s active travel fund and have been out for consultation since February.
The plans are designed to get more people walking and cycling as the district emerges from the pandemic.
But they have proved controversial, with a proposal to make traffic on Oatlands Drive one-way being scrapped after a backlash from residents.
And while new proposals for a 20mph limit, junction upgrades and restrictions on cars using the nearby St Hilda’s Road and St Winifred’s Drive have now been put forward, there are still concerns from some locals who say the changes will turn streets into “rat runs” and make the area “more dangerous” for pedestrians and cyclists.
Read more:
- Harrogate walking and cycling schemes: latest plans revealed
- Residents welcome decision to drop Oatlands Drive one-way scheme
- Harrogate could get county’s first CYCLOPS junction
Under the plans for Victoria Avenue, it was revealed last month that the street could get the county’s first Cyclops junction. which would work by separating cyclists from general traffic with the aim of improving safety for all road users.
The UK’s first Cyclops junction was built in Manchester last year and the proposal for Harrogate could link up with the town’s £7.9 million Gateway project, which includes major road changes and public space improvements in the Station Parade area.
Other proposals for Victoria Avenue include new cycle lanes, a zebra crossing and a ‘floating’ bus stop, which would see a stop being repositioned from the curb side to between bike lanes and the road.
The final scheme for the A59 between Harrogate and Knaresborough also includes new cycle lanes, as well as a 40mph limit between Badger Mount and Maple Close, junction upgrades and improvements to a crossing near Harrogate Golf Club.
Designs for all three schemes were revealed at the end of March as part of a second stage of the consultation, which will end at midnight tonight.
The feedback from residents will be used to develop the draft designs further before a final decision on which schemes will progress is made.
Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at North Yorkshire County Council, previously said:
The county council received more than £1 million from the government’s active travel fund for the schemes and must spend the money before April 2022.
You can have your say here.
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