More green initiatives on the way in Harrogate despite the end of LTN at Beech Grove

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Disappointed local cycling groups have been keeping up the pressure after North Yorkshire County Council's recent decision to end the town's first Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) at Beech Grove in Harrogate.

First introduced in February 2021, the Government-supported initiative saw bollards used to restrict through traffic on Beech Grove and Lancaster Road during the experiment and a public consultation launched.

Harrogate District Cycling Action said they were "disappointed" the LTN had been ended and argued the scheme had encouraged more cycling and walking, precisely what the Government's Active Travel policies were designed to achieve.

Harrogate District Cycling Action asks why a decision was not taken during the LTN trial period and questions whether this follows the procedures laid out by Active Travel England.

As a result, the local campaign group fears the county council may lose out when it comes to future capital and revenue allocations to North Yorkshire for such schemes in future.

But North Yorkshire County Council's executive member for highways and transportation has hit back, arguing it not only has a "good track record" on active travel but is perparing a set of new initiatives.

Coun Keane Duncan said: "The county council has a good track record of securing funding for active travel schemes. In the past eight years, we have secured £48million in total, with £16m of this in the Harrogate area.

"The filters on Beech Grove were introduced on an experimental basis.

"They were not ended prematurely, but removed at the end of the 18-month trial period."

As part of the criteria for Government funding for Active Travel projects, North Yorkshire County Council is required to fill in Active Travel England’s (ATE) self-assessment for local authorities by Monday, August 22.

This will be used to assess levels of funding for upcoming funding opportunities and help determine North Yorkshire's allocation of capital and revenue grant funding from a £500 million national pot for new infrastructure over a three-year period.

But North Yorkshire County Council says it remains confident it is on course to deliver Active Travel projects that meet the brief.

Coun Keane Duncan said: “We are working to deliver active travel schemes with the funding we’ve received so far, and capitalise on opportunities to secure future government funding that may arise in the future.

"As part of that, we are reviewing feedback and data gathered during the LTN trial at Beech Grove.

“It’s right that we take time to ensure active travel schemes are delivered in the best way, based on feedback from our residents.

"This will help us to pull together a detailed, coordinated plan to connect various active travel initiatives together.

"We hope to share details of this in September.”

While cycling groups continue to question the county council's commitment to delivering a future based less on the dominance of car traffic, a different campaign group claims residents do not support the town's green initiatives.

Anna McIntee, who co-founded Harrogate Residents Association, said it was crucial that the authority listened to all feedback before making any decisions.

"Harrogate Residents Association received over 600 signatures on their petition against it in less than a week, and 780 signatures in total.

"We presented this to the council last year and were ignored.

"Going forward, we hope this will not happen again and the council will engage with residents and businesses before implementing any further other schemes, especially the Station Gateway project."

Active Travel England's ultimate aim is to see 50% of short trips undertaken either walking or cycling by 2050.

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