'A bad idea' - Ripon City Council objects to lower speed limit on deadly A61

The winding road between the city and Harrogate is notorious for incidents, with dangerous overtaking past slow-moving vehicles like tractors or trucks a regular occurrence.

In September 2023, a family of three were killed near South Stainley and it led North Yorkshire Council to look at how the road could be made safer.

The authority is now seeking views on reducing the speed limit on a section of the road, between Ripley roundabout and towards Ripon, from 60mph to 50mph. This would bring it into line with the section of the A61 that passes through Wormald Green.

But councillors on Ripon City Council, which has an advisory role on highways matters, met at the town hall on Wednesday evening (Jul 24) and agreed to send an objection.

Councillor Peter Horton said a lower speed limit could further frustrate motorists and be more dangerous.

He added that when he first moved to Ripon in the early 1960s the road had three lanes, which he said helped traffic flow until it was “done away with”.

Coun Horton said: “If you are driving at 50mph and come up to a slow-moving truck at 40mph and want to keep within the speed limit, you may not be able to overtake. It’s more dangerous. It will increase the volume of traffic and queues.

“There are already insufficient places to overtake so it’s a very bad idea. There are no figures or stats to justify it. It’s vague and means nothing. We will write to North Yorkshire to object as it’s an unsatisfactory solution to the road.”

Councillor Pauline McHardy called the road an “accident waiting to happen” and said something needs to be done to save lives. She called on the council to introduce more passing places, which are areas where large vehicles can stop to let others pass.

Coun McHardy said: “When I pass an ambulance I think there’s been an accident and there quite often is. There aren’t enough passing places, drivers get frustrated with tractors. I don’t know what the answer is. This road is a heavily used road for people going to work. At peak periods it’s always busy. It isn’t working as it is.”