‘Harrogate needs a break from roadworks’

As Harrogate town centre traffic grinds to a halt once again, Harrogate’s council leader calls for a break in roadworks.
NADV 1310018AM1 Temporary traffic lights.  Temporary traffic lights on Cornwall Road. (1310018AM1)NADV 1310018AM1 Temporary traffic lights.  Temporary traffic lights on Cornwall Road. (1310018AM1)
NADV 1310018AM1 Temporary traffic lights. Temporary traffic lights on Cornwall Road. (1310018AM1)

There are over 50 sets of roadworks in Harrogate today (March 17), according to data from highways authority North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC).

Traffic surveys on West Park held up commuter traffic in town as motorists were quized on their journeys and the closure of Montpellier Road alongside the Crown Hotel has led to huge back ups of the town centre’s one-way system.

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Meanwhile on Claro Road temporary traffic lights continue to create delays and thousands of litres of water have poured onto the road from a burst pipe which Yorkshire Water say they cannot fix until tomorrow.

At a Harrogate Area Committee meeting of North Yorkshire County Council last week, Harrogate Borough Council leader Richard Cooper (Con, High Harrogate) pleaded for a break from the endless stream of roadworks.

He said: “Can we have a break? It just seems to be week after week and we all just want a few months respite. We have all been going around Harrogate at no speed for such a long time. People realise you need to do work but the level to which we have been getting work is too much.

“We want a bit of time off so people can remember what it is like to not be stuck in stand still traffic.”

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Despite the high level of roadworks in recent months, Coun Andrew Goss (Lib Dem, Bilton and Nidd Gorge) asked for more, calling on the council to address the backlog of pot holes in the area.

James Malcolm, a highways manager from NYCC said: “Harrogate just generates pot holes, basically we never get to the end of a situation in Harrogate. We are in a country with weather like we have, we will never be able to get on top of the pot holes.”

What do you think? Where are Harrogate’s traffic black spots? Comment below or join the debate on Facebook or Twitter.