Harrogate and District Cycle Action (HDCA), A local group who are seeking to get the Local authorities to plan, develop and build a sustainable cycling network in the District have recently undertaken a review of their long term aims and have set these out in a ‘Manifesto for Cycling’.
It has also updated its website to encourage people to sign up as supporters to help the campaign to press the County and Borough Councils to progress a delivery plan to see more segregated cycleways in the District that will encourage people to leave their cars at home for their commute to school, work and other local journeys.
The website can be found at www.harrogatecycleaction.org.uk . The website also has an area where people can comment on what they want to see in their local area with regard to improvements that can be made to encourage people to cycle.
Kevin Douglas, Chair of HDCA, said:
With the County Council dropping their plans for the Relief Road and now looking at Sustainable Transport options and the Borough Council strongly supporting this approach, we felt now was the time to seek people’s views on what they want to see progressed as part of the cycle network.
We meet regularly with both Authorities as part of the District Cycle Forum and we want to be in a position to put forward what local people want to see developed as part of future plan for cycling in the District.
There are plans in the pipeline for some development but these have been delayed and progress has been slow – it is over 3 years since a new stretch of cycle path was developed in the District – and we want to be able to make a case for more to be built to help reduce congestion and pollution.
The Local Authorities have done a good job in raising the profile of cycling by supporting events in the District and undertaking cycle training in schools but if there is no safe, segregated cycleways for people to use then it just leads to frustration, and they will soon lose interest.
Anyone who wants to support the campaign can sign up on the website and comment on any issues relating to cycling in the Harrogate District.
