A Harrogate councillor has said traffic flows on the town’s Skipton Road – one of the most congested in the country – can benefit from the Tour de France.
In order to accommodate the race, a number of pedestrian refuges and traffic lights along the route, including Skipton Road, Ripon Road and Knaresborough Road, will have to be removed.
This, said County Councillor David Simister (UKIP, Bilton & Nidd Gorge), would be the ideal opportunity to re-think the traffic management of Skipton Road.
County Coun Simister said:
One of the main problems with Skipton Road is the sheer number of traffic lights that constrict the flow of traffic.
The majority need removing and, in the case of the junctions of Kings Road and Claro Road, mini roundabouts can take their place. I’d also replace the pelican crossings with zebra crossings.
The County Council has been reluctant to undertake any major alterations to the road’s traffic management despite the overwhelming evidence that significant changes are needed.
It needs to be bold and take a radical approach. If it doesn’t then congestion will only get worse, particularly as a housing estate is earmarked for Claro Road, Tesco’s is set to open late next year and there are plans to build 200 plus houses on land adjacent to Pets at Home.
The word often bandied around the Tour de France is legacy, well what better legacy could there be than to have traffic flowing freely along Skipton Road?
