Congestion killing Harrogate! put bypass back on agenda, says UKIP County Councillor David Simister

29 October 2014

North Yorkshire county councillor David Simister is calling for the debate on a northern bypass for Harrogate to be reopened forthwith!

David Simister, the UKIP member for Bilton & Nidd Gorge, said traffic and congestion was killing the spa town and this condition would only get worse with the construction of hundreds more homes in the area.

County Coun Simister
County Coun Simister

County Coun Simister said: A recent Harrogate Borough Council meeting asked business owners what the District needed in order to attract investment and new jobs to the area. The number one priority was to improve the town’s appalling transport links.

Skipton Road is one of the most congested roads outside of London, and this will be crippling when hundreds of new homes are built on land opposite Saltergate School.

Two decades ago when the southern bypass was opened, the biggest error was not constructing a relief road to the west and north of the town. The county council even went to the lengths of compulsory purchasing properties along the proposed route.

This urgently needs to be looked at again. If we are serious about attracting businesses to the district we need to ensure we have a road and rail infrastructure that can cope with the current, daily demands of tens-of-thousands of commuters, let alone what that will become in a few years’ time.

We have an antiquated rail link that makes third world countries look impressive and our limited road network is crumbling through abject neglect.

If we have tens-of-millions-of-pounds to waste on a new and unnecessary incinerator, let’s, for a change, do something sensible and build up our transport network before it’s too late.

1 Comment

  1. I do not drive and have to use public transport to get from Knaresborough to Harrogate, at 7:45am I wait for the bus it’s either on time or late and is so annoying if it does not turn up at all. I can sit on the bus 20mins when the schools are closed but in term time it can be 45 minutes and up to 1 hour and 10 minutes when the school term commences which is outrageous. When the bus pulls up at the bus stops I look throught the window most cars have one person in it the driver and no passengers. When the bus has to stop at the train crossing in Starbeck for at least 10 minutes the train carriages go by with not a lot of passengers on and I think to myself I’m going to be late because of the 15 people on the train and all those cars with one person in blocking the road.
    I would use the Train myself but the cost from Knaresborough to Harrogate return is far too costly it’s a lot cheaper on the bus with a weekly pass on route #1….
    While I’m fired up, the high street Knaresborough is crazy especially when deliveries are being made to Tescos, Jack Fultons etc why do they deliver when its peak time rush hour am & pm why not a little later especially say between 6/7am & 7/8pm. In the past and in this day an age we have all worked as they say unsociable hours so why has this not been put in place after all we live in a 25 hour culture. Last but not least the green connection buses they stop on the high street (heading towards harrogate) 50 yards away from the traffic lights holding up traffic behind them as the cars can not overtake due to the cars on the other side waiting for the traffic lights to change to green so they can move its a nightmare. Why are these buses allowed to stop on double yellow lines in the first place? Years ago buses and they were double deckers too used to pick up behind the bus station where the coaches pick up they used to come up the high street to the traffic lights turn right and right again onto gracious street pick up then turn right onto the side street then left onto the high street up to Harrogate so why isn’t this put into place with the connection buses if double decker buses can do these street they could after all they are qualified bus drivers. It would solve a lot of congestion if they are concerned (the bus company) that passengers would not walk to the back of the bus station they will as even with there free travel bus passes they get a card stamped for a voucher for M&S also if they can walk around Knaresborough they can walk there sorry for the moan hope it helps a bit ☺️

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