This page is for ideas about Central ward. Comments are open to supporters who are logged in. Find Harrogate Central ward on the map of Harrogate District wards.
Routes in Central ward
Cycle routes in this ward:
- West Park
- Victoria Avenue
- Station Parade
- South Park Road
- Queen Parade/Station Avenue
- North Park Road
- East Parade/Dragon Parade/Dragon Road
- Kings Road
- Studley Road/Franklin Road/Franklin Mount & the bridge over the railway
Gia suggests: take away the one-way system around Harrogate – West Park/Station Parade/York Place. It is a legacy of a half-finished road scheme from the 1960s. Reintroduce two-way traffic.
Protected cycle lane on Victoria Avenue & Station Parade to continue the route into town on Otley Road & Beech Grove.
Protected bike lanes either side of West Park instead of street parking, as part of a route into town on Leeds Road from Pannal.
East Parade. This is an important cycle route for going to Asda.
The cycle lane uphill is a bodge-job and finishes in ‘homemade’ and unsatisfactory arrangements at the Odeon roundabout.
Downhill, there’s just one short section of painted advisory cycle lane which gives no protection, and even makes it more dangerous for people on bikes by putting them in the wrong road position (depending on where they are going at the junction).
For more see HedgehogCycling https://hedgehogcycling.co.uk/east-parade.html
As regards the Station Gateway project, Harrogate is crying out for secure cycle parking. I understand bike theft is a real problem – I generally prefer to walk for that reason. In the plan I understand there is consideration for secure bike parking near the station, but if you come from the south of Harrogate and you want to go to the banks for example, you’re not going to want to park at the station. There needs to be secure parking dotted all around the town centre. This has to be a priority for the project. At the moment it just seems to be an afterthought.
I think they’ve chosen the wrong street to pedestrianise. Why James Street? What the benefit? Has anyone consulted the shop owners? They don’t sound happy to me.
Meanwhile whenever I sit inside the restaurants along Albert Street, I look out and think the view would be greatly improved if the windows didn’t overlook a narrow pavement lined with parked cars. So many of the bars and restaurants in Harrogate with outside space overlook a road. There’s an opportunity here to change that. If Albert Street was pedestrianised from Princess Square up to Station Parade, the cafes and restaurants could spill out onto the pavement, creating a vastly improved experience. You could put cycle parking all the way up the centre. This may appease business owners concerned at the loss of car parking spaces.
Station Gateway money comes from the Transforming Cities Fund, which is specifically for the area around the train and bus station. I agree that secure bike parking is needed in many places, not just the station, but this project can’t do everything.
There will always be some unhappy shop owners – until they see that actually it is an improvement, then they will be happy. And yes they have been consulted; Station Gateway is currently on its 3rd consultation.
Albert Street could be a good candidate for pedestrianisation in a future scheme. You’re right that Harrogate is blighted by far too much space given over to cars, moving and parked. Station Gateway makes a start on changing that.
Agreed in full!