New: Harrogate park and ride - public reaction

Members of the public have responded to calls for a Harrogate park and ride with a torrent of ideas - and a few complaints - about the town's current transport system.
Is this where Harrogate is going? A bus at York's impressive park and ride system.Is this where Harrogate is going? A bus at York's impressive park and ride system.
Is this where Harrogate is going? A bus at York's impressive park and ride system.

The debate was sparked by a Harrogate Advertiser story about ways of improving the town centre and the retail sector in challenging times.

Harrogate Chamber of Commerce's president Steve Scarre said most major towns and cities such as York, whose system is operated by City of York Council York with a total of 4,970 car spaces, had a park and ride except for Harrogate.

It was time for positive action, he said.

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Some readers backed his call for changes in how traffic is handled, usually favouring 'sustainable' measures which cut car traffic.

Ideas thrown up by the public included the following:

A park and ride at Flaxby linked to trains, rather than cars.

The expansion of the bus service to include parts of Harrogate currently ill-served.

The creation of extra bus lanes in Harrogate.

A new high school for the town away from the St Aidan's and Grammar School areas.

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Among the wave of posts to the Harrogater Advertiser Facebook page were the following...

Stu Mitchell

Better idea would be to open a P+R at Flaxby, just off the A1, using the train as opposed to buses. That way you’d remove traffic on Wetherby Road, and potentially pick up new trade that’s so far been discouraged by poor connectivity to the motorway network.

Julie Gibson Halstead

I've only lived here a couple of years and have wondered why there isn't a bus route that goes up and down the 59 from New Park area to Knaresborough. I had an appointment in Starbeck this morning. Would've happily taken the bus if I didn't have to take a bus to the station then transfer to another.

Clare Keim Most people are commuting out of Harrogate. Also build a high school and supermarket on the other side of town and then there won't have to be so many kids being bussed across and you won't have to go through town to do a full shop.

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Steven Moyes It’s been proven that less than (I think) 15% of traffic going through Harrogate is passing through. Park and ride won’t help internal congestion. As always, ‘the car’ isn’t the solution here, it’s the problem.

Jonathan Anderson Park and ride would help those coming into the city but probably 50% of the traffic doesn't even terminate in Harrogate, it passes through further north! So a proper ring road would stop through traffic

Mark Evison A park and ride where Tesco was going to be built would be great but also the bypass needs to be built so people don't have to travel down Skipton Road each day. That road will get even more traffic now all the houses have been built down Jennyfields. Please get this done as it will stop massive congestion going through towns and lower pollution that councils want.

Tom Davill One of the major appeals of park and ride is a reduced commute time. Unlike York and Hull as I'm aware Harrogate has no bus lanes, certainly none anywhere near the town centre. People will now have to park up, wait for a bus and then carry on their journey at the same pace as if they were driving at before. Bus lanes can't be added to the town center as they stray can't be built on.