Harrogate's Parliament Street crossroads hit by major disruption amid flurry of new roadworks

The normal traffic lights have been switched off all round the Royal Hall at the crossroads at the bottom of Parliament, Street, including Crescent Road, Kings Road and Ripon Road (A61).

The disruption for motorists begins on Kings Road near Harrogate Convention Centre before Christies Wine Bar and carries on up Ripon Road towards The Harrogate Inn hotel.

The roadworks are the responsibility of Northern Gas Networks and will last all this week until August 2,.

In addition, Montpellier Road, which faces the Royal Hall, is also affected.

This year has seen Harrogate experience a regular pattern of roadworks in almost every sector of town, the result, mostly, of essential utility works rather than pothole or road repairs.

The school holidays may have begun with the expectation of fewer cars on major roads but each week brings a new set of new three-way or four-way traffic controls.

A key through-route Starbeck High Street has became even worse this week thanks to Northern Powergrid.

Having closed Prospect Road for more than a fortnight, the disruption has moved on but, if anything, widened in its impact.

There are now multi-way traffic control signals all the way from the Starbeck railway crossing and Tesco Express on Knaresborough Road – and they are expected to continue until August 6.

When combined with the railway barriers coming down four to six times per hours, road delays have become even lengthier despite the lighter school holiday traffic.

To residents, bus services, van drivers and commuters, signs saying "roadworks - delays likely" have become the new normal in 2025 in most parts of town.

Nowhere, it seems, is safe from delays and there is no direction in which drivers can turn in the hope of a smooth journey.

For more information, visit North Yorkshire Council’s interactive road works map at: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-travel/roads-and-pavements/roadworks-map