North Yorkshire County Council highways team is to impose experimental traffic restrictions on Beech Grove and Lancaster Road.
Please note this item has been updated as it previously incorrectly said that disc parking would be lost.
The Beech Grove area is the road on the opposite side of the Stray from the West Park.
Non-residential through traffic will be prevented from entering these road. The council say it is to “create quieter streets where residents feel safer when walking and cycling”
The roads will continue to be accessible to residents, their visitors, deliveries, emergency vehicles, refuse collections and taxi / private hire vehicles.
The County Council is implementing a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) experimental order. It allows barriers such as bollards and planters to stop through traffic.
Alongside this scheme a designated ‘Ambulances only’ parking bay will be installed on Trinity Road at the junction with Otley Road, thereby making available an alternative location to the place currently used by ambulances.
Work to install the signage, bollards and planters will take three days from Monday, 15 February 2021, weather permitting.
County Councillor Don Mackenzie, Executive Member for Access, said:
We are committed to improving facilities for active travel and the Beech Grove scheme, alongside other similar active travel projects underway in Harrogate, will do much to encourage active travel, to ease congestion and to improve air quality.
We look forward to receiving the views of residents on the Beech Grove measures during the course of this experimental order. Those views will be taken into account as part of an ongoing review of the scheme.
As this is an experimental scheme the public has a six-month period to share their views. The County Council will then consider whether to make it permanent, extend the experiment or set it aside.
Councillor Richard Cooper, member for Harrogate Central, welcomes the active travel scheme. He said:
I know that some local residents are sceptical about these new sustainable transport measures.
I understand that and I respect that view while not agreeing with it.
The fact of the matter is that we cannot pretend that traffic congestion, poor air quality, a diminishing environment and climate change can be solved without radical changes to our transport infrastructure and our personal travel habits.
Any comments should be emailed to area6.boroughbridge@northyorks.gov.uk. The deadline is 14 August, 2021.
The scheme was originally linked to the Emergency Active Travel Fund (ETAF) but is to be funded by North Yorkshire County Council.
Closing Beech Road is a pointless exercise which will not achieve any of these aims, apart from hitting local businesses. The only way to reduce air pollution and help the environment is to reduce the huge number of houses being built. Each house brings at least 2 cars and paves over invaluable green spaces . Closing a toad will not compensate for this environmental damage!
Might want to proof read this before you post it.
Time for a park-and-ride somewhere
We always parked there so that meN no shopping in Harrogate anymore
You’ve got ahead of your self by 900 years ..lol .. it says work starts 2921
While very laudable, I’d like to know why this scheme was prioritised above others. There must be a dozen other rat runs that are making life difficult and dangerous for residents, young people walking to and from school, et al in Harrogate that are far worse than the Beech Grove Scheme. Exactly and specifically, what other “active travel projects” are currently “underway in Harrogate” ?
Give the exceptions that can still use Beech Grove what is the point? Not that l agree with the plan
This will deter me from shopping in Harrogate anymore. The town centre has deteriorated and so many retailers have left. It is looking rundown and now the road blocks and parking issues is the final straw for me.