Harrogate residents invited to online public meeting on active travel

People in Harrogate are being invited to a public meeting to have their say on plans for three new walking and cycling routes.

Author: Karen LiuPublished 29th Mar 2021

People in Harrogate are being invited to a public meeting to have their say on plans for three new walking and cycling routes.

North Yorkshire County Council has received £1,011,750 from the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund to improve the infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.

The grant, which must be spent during the 2021/22 financial year, is earmarked to fund work along four corridors to improve access to the town centres for cyclists and pedestrians, allowing for more space for social distancing.

The meeting to discuss the Harrogate proposals will be held today (Monday 29th March) between 3-5pm.

They will be held online due to Government restrictions around Covid-19 and can be accessed at the specified times at www.northyorks.gov.uk/socialdistancingandactivetravel

Thousands of people shared their views in an online survey, which came to an end at the end of February. The next consultation on the draft designs is now out.

In the Harrogate area, three cycle improvement corridors are proposed:

• A59 (Harrogate Road, Knaresborough) between Badger Mount and Maple Close;

• Oatlands Drive between Hookstone Road and Knaresborough Road;

• Victoria Avenue near the County Court, between the A61 (West Park) and Station Parade.

The County Council bid for the funding last summer, after assessing 300 schemes across the county, including some received from the public, interest groups and county councillors.

The Active Travel Fund allocation is the second phase of funding from the Department for Transport following the Covid-19 lockdown last March. The first phase supported temporary infrastructure to aid social distancing. The Active Travel Fund is part of a £2bn five-year sustainable travel package from the Government.

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