Do the planners ever cycle the routes they propose?

Why do North Yorkshire County Council feel it necessary to have a cycle lane to Knaresborough on the A59 when there is one already from Bilton Lane to Mother Shipton's? It would be better if it was upgraded instead.

There is also an off road cycle path towards Harrogate from Knaresborough adjacent to the A59 but not as long as the one proposed. Interestingly the gradient from Mother Shipton's to the junction of Bilton is around 3.13%.

They also give priority to traffic from the golf club. Further down there is an entrance to a farm field that also has priority over the cycle track.

It would be interesting to know how much cycling the people who plan these routes actually do. Or if they actually visit the sites rather than just viewing them on a two-dimensional drawing?

Catherine Alderson, Harrogate

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Let's have "wider thinking" on town planning

Members have contacted us with concerns about the proposed Station Gateway development and the potential negative impact in businesses.

Creating a better link between the train station (and bus station) and Harrogate town centre makes sense. Yet there has to be some doubt that these plans will really deliver those objectives.

We also have to consider the impact on businesses in Harrogate and the fact that Harrogate is a visitor destination, with many more people arriving by car than by bus or train.

My main concern is that this proposal is an example of “pocket thinking” in terms of planning. It feels opportunistic to do something because the money is coming from elsewhere. It is right to access funds, and yet in re-purposing a town such as Harrogate, there has to be a whole town approach as opposed to this pocket thinking of convenience.

By restricting traffic in one place, it is likely that congestion will move elsewhere and so there is no reduced traffic and no reduced carbon emission.

By improving the look and facilities in one part of town, does another part suffer from a lack of investment? In many ways the visual impression of James Street is an improvement. Interestingly it contains images of shops, and unless the footfall can be improved (footfall and accessibility go hand in hand), these shops will simply not exist. Furthermore, Harrogate has examples of pedestrianised areas that have not added to the image of the town, so the same mistakes should not be repeated.

Finally, will it be good for business?  These proposals remove parking spaces, forcing people to walk in, cycle in or take the bus. I suspect that the development of electric cars will move quicker than improvements in public transport, and yet more and more local authorities want to remove cars and accessibility.

Harrogate deserves wider thinking and ownership of a vision for the whole town rather than development in bite size chunks

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association (former Harrogate resident)

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Don't give up Paul! 

To Paul Baverstock (Strayside Sunday)

Your Sunday messages are absolutely brilliant. I love 'em. I sincerely hope you don't get assassinated by our Binary Democracy. Per Ardua Ad Astra.

Peter Bell

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Read More:

• Is there any consensus on Harrogate's Station Gateway project? 


• Andrew Jones MP criticised for his "news" website

 

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