Design Work Continues on A59 Knaresborough Road Cycle Path Missing Link
Design work continues on the missing link in the A59 Knaresborough Road cycle path. That’s according to a report prepared in advance of a Harrogate & Knaresborough Area Committee meeting on 28th November 2024.
The report says that a ‘concept design’ is being done by North Yorkshire Council (NYC) transport team and Align Property Partners. It was discussed this month at an Active Travel Design Workshop with Sustrans on behalf of Active Travel England.
The next stage would be a ‘preliminary design’.
The worry is that NYC is more than capable of going round and round in circles, through all sorts of different design stages, but never actually delivering any on-the-ground improvements. They are world champions at looking busy without producing any results.
The design is funded by the Economic, Regeneration, Tourism and Transport Project Development Fund, which is allocated by the Area Committee.
Design of Bilton to Hornbeam Park Cycle Route
Also funded from the same pot is a design for a route from Bilton to Hornbeam Park via East Parade and Stray Rein.
It was discussed at the same Active Travel Design Workshop as the A59 missing link. The report says:
‘Following the workshop, officers are looking at options within the designs to improve the likelihood of delivery and potential phasing of the route.
In addition, the scheme will have an impact on several junctions due to the proposed reassignment of road space to cyclists, and traffic modelling has been commissioned at three junctions…to test the proposals.
Design work continues.’
There is plenty of scope for NYC to muck up the project and deliver nothing. Based on their track record, that is almost certainly what they will do.
Splitting projects into phases has been shown to be a disaster because it allows the council to spin the work out for years or even decades. If they ever manage to deliver even one phase, it’s very likely that they will drop the other phases so that we end up with a useless, isolated bit of cycle infrastructure. See Otley Road for the template.
The likelihood of loss of nerve by NYC if the scheme has any impact on traffic flow – their sacrosanct goal – is close to 100%.
But who knows? Maybe the leopard will change its spots. Probably not though.
Climate Change Report
The reports pack for the 28th November meeting also includes a note about climate change activity in Harrogate & Knaresborough.
On transport, it says that ‘the development of walking and cycling infrastructure plans for Harrogate and Knaresborough’ will have ‘positive climate impacts’.
That is magical thinking.
Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) are pieces of paper which do not in themselves reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They rely on the council actually implementing the plans and building infrastructure. NYC doesn’t do that.
This is of a piece with North Yorkshire’s Climate Change Delivery Pathway which contains platitudes like ‘encourage increase in cycling and walking’ – but accompanied by no action and no measurable targets.
20mph Report
There is also a report about the 20mph scheme for west and south Harrogate, which the council is pursuing – in theory, but not so much in practice.
Campaigners and Councillors asked officers to include Hooktone Road and Hookstone Drive in the proposals. NYC describe these roads as Category 3a main distributor roads, with high volumes of traffic.
Council officers don’t want to make them 20mph. They suggest leaving it until an unspecified time in the future when…
‘…a further review of Hookstone Road and Drive may be appropriate in light of changed traffic patterns’.
That “further review” is never going to happen. NYC can’t even implement the 20mph scheme on the roads where they have agreed to do it.
The 20mph report includes excuses about NYC’s failure to include 20mph and traffic calming in the resurfacing of Pannal Ash Road and Green Lane.
They say they have split the work into two phases – what a surprise! The classic North Yorkshire delaying tactic wheeled out again.
There is now an “indicative programme” – i.e. we won’t do anything by the dates specified – for the streets requiring 20mph signs only.
There is another “indicative programme” for those streets requiring traffic calming. They include Beckwith Road, Pannal Ash Road, Arthur’s Avenue, Whinney Lane, Yew Tree Lane, Green Lane and Oatlands Drive. I understand that Beech Grove is also to get traffic calming.
So most of the work has already been shunted into 2025. Does anyone believe it will actually be done in 2025?
The report also says that there will be a county-wide review of speed limits, and the methodology will be considered by the Corporate Director and Executive Member for Transport in January 2025.