Readers' Letters: ‘Cycle path’ anything but an exemplar

After months of disruption on Otley Road and weeks of noisy construction, including overnight, the first phase of the Otley Road ‘cycle path’ is complete.

So, what do we have? Well, a newly resurfaced pavement, which now has to be shared with cyclists.

Across the side roads leading onto Otley Road we have some segregated cycle path, so that the cyclists can continue straight over the side road, with the cars set back, blocking the pedestrians who wish to cross.

A ‘cycle path’ that goes straight through a bus stop, and a bus shelter removed so people can now stand in the rain.

Some grass removed, more asphalt and 36 new metal signs over 460m of highway and 32 painted white cycles on the asphalt over 600m of highway! Of course all of this ‘cycle path’ could be seen three years ago by looking at the designs, but some people seem surprised by it.

Basically we have an existing pavement now given over to cyclists.

Then we have the Harlow Moor Road junction. All the grass gone, trees felled (mainly for the road users, but also to facilitate the cycle path) and the pavement restricted.

Of course, this won’t decrease the amount of traffic, merely make the car journeys slightly quicker. The junction is now a disaster for pedestrians, squeezed up next to the road, no grass verge between car and pedestrian.

The Chair of Harrogate District Cycle Action (HDCA) has said don’t judge it yet and that he wanted this to be an exemplar of cycle design.

Unfortunately for him, most local residents already have an opinion and it is not one he would be comfortable with. The scheme is anything but an exemplar.

Perhaps we should note that the second core principle of the Government guidance document on cycle infrastructure design is that: “Cycles must be treated as vehicles and not as pedestrians.

On urban streets, cyclists must be physically separated from pedestrians and should not share space with pedestrians.”

So I believe Otley Road fails fully in meeting this principle, which was guidance before any construction began. Indeed it fails to meet much of the guidance in the document (for example gradient). We have an out of date ‘cycle path’ even before it was started.

What will happen with the proposed ‘phase 3’ at the top of Harlow Hill - will this be to standard? HDCA have also said that the proposed cycle path from Pannal should go ahead, despite the design once again being of shared space and against the guidelines.

I could also add that the safety audit for the Otley Road construction was concerned that there was potential for cyclist/pedestrian conflict throughout the scheme. I believe this project has been bad for cyclists and is certainly bad for pedestrians.

Both HDCA & NYCC continually claim to be doing things to improve walking. Perhaps they could explain how reducing pavement space for pedestrians, adding cyclists going at speed down such pavements, making it harder to cross side streets, removing grass and adding street furniture everywhere actually encourages walking?

Previously I have been criticised by a local cycling website and HDCA for complaining about the design of this ‘cycle path’, though now it is built they seem to have realised that it’s shared and are also criticising aspects of it!

Perhaps NYCC should stop all their private meetings with HDCA and instead actually engage with the local residents and pedestrians who seem to know more about cycle infrastructure and definitely know more about the locality.

Whilst the cycling organisations seem to accept this sub-standard design, I think that cycle paths should be designed to the proper standards, whilst also accommodating the interest of local residents and pedestrians and taking into account the nature of the existing built environment, otherwise Harrogate is on route for a lot more disasters.

Chris Dicken

Harrogate

https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/news/opinion/letters/reader-letter-otley-road-cycle-path-is-a-real-danger-3551680