Clear Active Travel policy would reduce the number of cars and support the Yorkshire Dales - David Noland

We all know Malham is hugely popular. There are some relatively quiet cycling routes from Skipton to Malham which mainly require just signage. These would be great Active Travel Links, being cheap and fast to install, offer huge savings in carbon, cut congestion and support healthier lifestyles. Links could be made between Malham and the rail stations at Hellifield or Long Preston, which would be walkable.

A safer cycling route from Skipton to Threshfield could go out through Embsay, past Hesketh farm and along the B6160. It’s a bit up and down but an active travel map of the area could grade roads accordingly, like a ski map. Skipton to Embsay is a hugely popular route for cyclists and a decent walk from town. Embsay has two pubs, a shop and a café with other enterprises in a converted mill. With the axing of school transport services, I supported residents asking for an early weekday bus at about 8am and a later returning service after 5pm and I welcome NYC’s trial of these now.

A weekend service should be popular judging by my postbag. NYC is now offering a Saturday service which allows people to get into Skipton and beyond by bus for jobs, sport, other activities and shopping.

A clear NYC Active Travel policy to support weekend bus services would help to reduce the huge number of cars that head to the Dales, support Dales businesses and provide transport for their staff who are often young and might otherwise need a lift.

An experienced active travel campaigner would jump at the chance of designing Active Travel Schemes for NYC. Skipton might be the Gateway to the Dales but if you haven’t got a car you will struggle to get around. One third of NYC residents don’t have one hence the need for good, detailed Active Travel schemes.

Some communities still believe that their lives would be irrevocably improved by the construction of a bypass. Such a plan would go against every one of the criteria that Active Travel schemes are measured by. People cannot agree which fields will be dug up for houses so how will they agree on which fields to obliterate for bypasses? I sympathise with communities blighted by through-traffic, but this is the failure of previous governments to support active travel where bus and rail fares have increased in 20 years by triple and double the cost of petrol respectively. No wonder people resort to cars. The freezing of fuel duty for the 14th year in a row disproportionally benefits the richest households.

I’d be interested to know how a Gargrave bypass would cut congestion given that these schemes don’t reduce overall traffic. More roads mean more traffic. Air quality won’t improve either. Traffic won’t go through Gargrave so people won’t stop at the café or the shops or the pub so how would such a bypass increase economic growth? Bypasses suck up money that would go so much further and have a much bigger local impact on people and the environment when spent on Active Travel.

David Noland is a councillor for Skipton North & Embsay with Eastby Division.