Otley Road Cycleway Update Harrogate

26th January 2021

This is an update on the Otley Road Cycleway - although as usual, I'm unable to report any work having actually started.

As background, North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) have previously promised to start work in:

• August 2019
• October 2019
• March 2020
• April 2020
• August 2020
• December 2020
• January 2021

Never did any work actually start.

Now the Harrogate Advertiser reports on progress on two fronts - the Stray land exchange consultation, and Northern Powergrid's schedule for moving services.

Stray Land Exchange

The consultation approved a land exchange by a big margin. 81% of respondents agreed with Harrogate Borough Council's proposal to designate land by Wetherby Road near Harrogate Hospital as Stray, in exchange for the Otley Road verges.

The responses to the council's proposal to amend Stray bylaws to allow cycling on the Otley Road bike path were 54% strongly in favour and 36% strongly against.

Stray Land Exchange Consulation

	Yes	No
Swap verges for Wetherby Road land	81%	19%
Allow cycling on Otley Road bike path	54% (strongly agree)	36% (strongly disagree)

Northern Powergrid

Northern Powergrid have to move some equipment before work can start on the Cycleway. They were most recently due to do this before Christmas, but that did not happen.

They are now scheduled to start work on 8th February 2021.

Project Management

Most people understand that there can occasionally be unforseen difficulties that cause a project to be delayed.

The Otley Road Cycleway has gone way beyond that. Every single deadline that has been set has slipped past, with no announcement and no explanation until much later. The timetable seems to be totally meaningless.

The total inability to get this project moving should be an embarrassment to Harrogate and North Yorkshire.

If work now starts, most of us would be more than happy to put all that behind us. We need:

• the professionalism to stick to deadlines, or keep delay to a minimum and explain the reasons promptly
• getting started on the first section promptly in February 2021
• an ambitious timetable for the whole route from Beckwithshaw to the Prince of Wales roundabout to published as soon as possible