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21
Mar 2021
Stray Views: Harrogate needs to embrace traffic-reduction schemes
Harrogate needs to accept the Station Gateway scheme to reduce car use, says one reader. Others praise the Stray — but say the state of the green shelters and the amount of litter ruin the effect.
Letters
Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. See below for details on how to contribute.
We must accept plans that reduce car use
Of course the Station Gateway plans for Harrogate will cause some traffic congestion, but how else do we move towards less use of the car?
As the population increases we cannot continue with today's use of cars. The roads are not big enough, the car parks are full, and we have global warming threatening to melt the polar ice and flood many parts of the UK.
So I welcome a 'one lane' Station Parade with paving and plants and space to sit and chat. We need to make changes to make using a car less desirable. That's why petrol and diesel are heavily taxed, and that tax needs to be increased.
We need to travel less, work nearer to home, work from home, shop nearer to home, go on holiday nearer to home. And when we need to travel, we will use walking, cycling, buses and trains. This is why some of the proposed changes today encourage cycling and do not cater for increased numbers of cars.
The change won't happen overnight, and us older people might still use cars most of the time. The car will still have a place, but the car must not continue to dominate. It is interesting that my two grandchildren are in no hurry to learn to drive. They are both old enough to drive and have been passengers in cars all of their lives, but it seems they have a different view on things.
Andrew Willoughby, Knaresborough
Litter blights our beautiful Stray
The Stray is looking better and better now. But there is an amount of rubbish lying around, especially beside the green huts.
Could there not be a bin next to these huts? Also, why are some of the bins placed side by side, next to each other, leaving large areas on the Stray with no facilities at all?
And we older people would welcome more seats around the Stray, as well, please.
We hope for a sunny summer!
Sheila Macdonald, Harrogate
Repair the green shelters on West Park Stray
I travel on the West Park Stray on a daily basis and my heart sinks every time I pass the two semi-derelict shelters.
They have never had any repair or maintenance on them apart from being decorated in an awful green colour. What do visitors think when they encounter them? What were wonderful shelters have become, on Harrogate Borough Council's watch, unsightly.
Because of their leaning structure they are also becoming unsafe and could be lost to the town. Has the council any scheduled plans in place for refurbishment before the shelters fall down?
Ken Richardson, Harrogate
Got an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.
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