North Yorkshire Council under fire for failing to deliver any progress on sustainable transport in Harrogate

Members of Harrogate District Cycling Action, who have waited patiently for nearly five years for plans to boost non-car transport in the Station Parade and James Street areas, says the retreat on the controversial £11.2 million Gateway project means it can no longer have a “transformative effect” on Harrogate.

A spokesperson for HDCA said: “The main way that Gateway could have made Harrogate a better place to live was by reducing the dominance of motor vehicles - and the noise, danger and pollution that they cause - by reducing Station Parade to one lane.

"It seems that is now not going to happen, so it will not have a transformative effect on Harrogate whatever the final details.”

North Yorkshire Council’s executive finally decided to remove the part-pedestrianisation of James Street from the plans funded by government cash as part of its Transforming Cities Fund and kill the idea of reducing Station Parade to single lane traffic to build new cycle lanes following months of opposition from a number of Harrogate businesses and residents groups.

The council said it had finally been forced to opt for a rethink based on mainly cosmetic improvements in the town centre because Harrogate-based property firm Hornbeam Park Developments, which owns several commercial properties on James Street, had issued a legal challenge.

Harrogate District Cycling Action says it now has no faith in North Yorkshire Council improving Harrogate’s poor record on sustainable transport measures.

Key points from statement on Gateway by HDCA

Some people blame Hornbeam Park Developments for derailing the good scheme, more than they blame council officers for any mistakes they may have made.

We think it would be quite wrong if a private company used its money to, in effect, determine council transport policy.

From a cycling point of view, most of the worthwhile elements have been stripped out of the scheme.

If cycle parking had been proposed on its own, we would have supported it.

If cycle parking is all that's left of what was an ambitious scheme it will inevitably be a huge disappointment.

HDCA have no objection to the council trying to tidy up One Arch but we doubt the money for it should come from sustainable transport funding.

Coordination of traffic lights is a benefit to motor vehicles only.

The most disappointing aspect of all is that it is proposed to spend sustainable transport funding to prioritise cars.

Five sets of lights are coordinated along West Park/Parliament Street.

What is the effect for pedestrians? Extremely long wait times.

To see the long wait times at the prestige town centre location outside Bettys is shameful.

We can expect the same thing on Station Parade.

Just as on Otley Road, what started out as a sustainable transport scheme is ending up as a scheme for motor vehicles.

If that is what happens, it will reflect badly on the North Yorkshire Executive and all Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors.

North Yorkshire Council clearly isn’t able to deliver the schemes it claims to be committed to.

Experience shows that 'aspiration' means they have no intention of doing it, ever.

Information: https://harrogatecycleaction.org.uk/