North Yorkshire Council (NYC) held a drop-in session on 31st July 2026 to show local residents their plans for cycle facilities on Otley Road and Pannal Ash Road.
This was our initial response to the schemes.
We support the principle of cycle provision on Otley Road and Pannal Ash Road, but we are concerned that:
- NYC is planning poor-quality provision (notably shared use on Otley Road) and
- they do not plan to link up the schemes to other facilities so as to create a coherent network
Otley Road Scheme
The Otley Road scheme is from the Harlow Moor Road west out towards Beckwithshaw.
This is the first part of Active Travel England’s (ATE’s) Design Review of NYC’s plans, and this is the second part.
The main points in the Design Review are:
- there are 4 unresolved policy conflicts, the most important of which is that it is a shared use facility whereas cyclists and pedestrians should be separated
- there are three Critical Safety Issues, although it looks as though NYC has put forward suggested resolutions
- the Level of Service score is just 37%, and the place-making score is 44%
It is seeking more funding for this part of the Otley Road cycleway from the Mayoral Transport Fund.
Pannal Ash Road Scheme
The Pannal Ash Road scheme is for a bi-directional cycleway from Otley Road to Rossett Sports Centre.
The infrastructure peters out soon after the entrance to Rossett Sports Centre due to space constraints. This means that anyone cycling will have to continue on the carriageway in traffic.
Our main suggestion for this scheme is that the roundabout at the top of Pannal Ash Road should be made a compact roundabout so it is less hazardous for cycling.
