North Yorkshire Council (NYC) has published an Active Travel Updates report in advance of the Harrogate & Knaresborough Area Committee council meeting on 26th March 2026.
These are the main points that emerge.
Crossing of Bilton Lane
The proposed crossing of Bilton Lane for the Nidderdale Greenway will be consulted on in May 2026, with construction expected in October 2026.
Widening of the Greenway at the Killinghall end is not going ahead for the moment because the landowner has not so far agreed.
Traffic Lights at the Otley Road-Cold Bath Road Junction
NYC is proposing to use NPIF sustainable transport money to change the traffic lights at the Otley Road-Cold Bath Road junction.
The objective is to get more motor vehicles through the junction faster – nothing to do with sustainable transport.
That will inevitably be to the detriment of pedestrians.
The Otley Road Cycleway will stop abruptly at this junction, and there will be no useful cycle facilities to enable onward travel towards the town centre, or even to Harrogate Grammar School.
If and when NYC wakes up to its responsibility to build joined-up cycle routes, it will have to redo the junction.
The current high-traffic scheme for the junction will start on 5th May 2026 and take 6-8 weeks.
Equipment Cabinet on Cold Bath Road
The council intends to move an electronics equipment cabinet for a light-controlled crossing from one side of Cold Bath Road, where there is more space, to the other side, where there is less space.
This is daft.
Uncontrolled Crossings of Cold Bath Road and Green Lane
NYC is going to consult on an uncontrolled crossing (priority to motor vehicles) of Cold Bath Road at Western Primary, and on an uncontrolled crossing (priority to motor vehicles) of Green Lane at Ashville College.
Uncontrolled crossings are not really crossings at all, as they give no priority to the people crossing.
It is extremely disappointing that the council is prioritising motor vehicles over children crossing the road to school.
Pointless Cycle Signage Review
NYC is still intent on spending sustainable transport funding on a pointless review of cycle signage. The one thing Harrogate’s cycle network already has is quite good signage.
The report says:
‘delivery will be towards end of National Productivity Investment Fund programme’
NYC won NPIF funding in 2017 and it is now 2026 – nine years on. The comment about the cycle signage review implies that there are several more years of NPIF “delivery” to go.
With every passing year, inflation reduces the value of the funding.
NPIF has been and continues to be a total shambles.
20mph and Traffic Calming
NYC has already done the sign-only 20mph streets and is now supposed to be doing those streets that require traffic calming.
We seem to have persuaded them that they should not use speed cushions, as they are not recommended by Active Travel England, and there is an Equalities Act problem with them.
Instead, NYC are intending to use sinusoidal speed humps, which stretch right across the road, on:
- Arthurs Avenue
- Oatlands Drive and
- Beech Grove
Frustratingly though, the council mis-describes them as ‘sinusoidal cushions’.
The speed humps on the three streets will be monitored.
NYC is nervous about putting too many sinusoidal humps in, and so on the other streets it is going to use (para 8.5):
‘a mix of measures including chicanes, tables, rebuilding existing measures to a steeper profile for improved speed reduction, and improved signing and lining’.
The council is still thinking about crossings of Oatlands Drive and Arthurs Avenue (and has been since at least January 2025).
Bilton to Hornbeam Park LCWIP Route
The Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan route from Bilton to Hornbeam Park has been designed (northern section), and designs are expected to be finished by May 2026 (southern section).
There is to be “early engagement with Councillors and key user groups” on the northern section. We have asked whether that will include Harrogate Cycle Action.
A59 Missing Link
The missing link between High Bridge Knaresborough and the point where the A59 cycle path starts is mentioned in the report.
The report says that there was a second design surgery with ATE in January 2026.
The information given in the report is not enough to understand what design is now proposed.
The next steps are:
‘to complete a Road Safety Audit on the latest iteration of the design and identify funding for delivery of the scheme’.
Active Travel Team
NYC has promised to set up an Active Travel Team ever since it was formed in 2023.
There is a paragraph about it in the report (para 10.1) which amounts to no news.
‘The Active Travel Team is being looked at in the context of a wider highways structure review…’
There is no timetable for the setting up of the team, so it should be assumed that we are in for years of dither and delay.