So I drive from Harrogate to a town just west of Skipton (and back) every day. Closing the A59 to work on landslip prevention for 5 weeks is fair enough (even though it’s the 3rd year running they’ve done it).
I can live with that. Essential work. Big ticket roadworks. Serious civil engineering – stand back everybody.
What I can’t live with is that they have closed the parallel (ish) Hall Lane / North Moor Road into Kexgill. What should be a +3 mile / 5 min extra route turns into a +15 mile / 40 minute, depending in traffic in Otley) HGV friendly diversion. Apparently (according to the site foreman I spoke to) this is all because a resident complained about his road being used as a rat run. Same said foreman told me that the Police had instructed them to close that road. I spoke to the police who told me they had not done that at all and they shouldn’t cite them as the responsible party – it’s the Highways Agency / Council. My guess is that there’s a Daily Mail reading Harrogate Borough Councillor who lives down that road. I could be wrong.
I pay my road taxes. I’m not a HGV. My road gets used as a rat run and there’s nothing I can do about that. Surely the inconvenience of having increased traffic could be managed (ie – cars only, no LWB / HGV) so that the A59 Blubberhouses doesn’t cost the environment and good commuting folk of Yorkshire thousands of extra man hours and pounds of petrol. All that’s actually happening is that it’s moving the problem elsewhere – the even less suitable for increased traffic Beamsley road is getting hammered.
Hi, I agree, are you still using the quick road behind blubber houses, I just cant see any planning permission as to how they can close that road.
I’m now using the Askwith / Ilkley / Beamsley – they have a manned ‘guard’ at the bottom of the hill opening and closing the West End road – depending on (I presume) how good your blag is.
The Askwith route is far from ideal – this morning (for instance) I had to reverse a good 100m to let x2 vans past as most of that road is single track / a worse road to take extra load than the West End route.
Yep I am using that way, it’s a pain, like you either large vans or drivers doing 20mph, roll on the 10th, I am on serious countdown, it betters belief as to how they can stop cars using certain roads.
Nearly 2 weeks down 3 to go 🙂
What a rant! Testicle, again! Is Jay back in good shape now or on the right track at least? Hope so, we were going to organise a night to celebrate weren’t we. Let me know the sitch, ball-bag!
Totally with you on this one. It’s been a real pain commuting over the A59 over the past few weeks. What I would say is that the sentry chap appears to have left by the time I’ve used the Kex Gill-West End little road (tempting fate there, mind, saying that).
I can see why it’s not been an advertised route around the works BUT given that the A59 is a public right of way, the fastest alternative must remain open.
Really, the route should be massively improved anyway. I know there is a bad safety record on it. Any other country would have dualled it (given the importance of the route as an east-west highway).
Stu
My stats report a bunch of people hitting this site looking for opening info – according to the signs :CLOSED 15th June – 10th July.
Also the pseudo police are still in force at the kexgill blockads – I was up there last night and my local business was collecting Elderflowers.
*ahem* correction – 6th of June to 10th of July – according the the sign near the Travellers Rest roundabout as you leave Harrogate on the A59.
Yesterday, I stopped for a moment to watch a van full of workers intimidating an blockade runner. One of them got out of said van and pointed a digital camera at the the drivers car reg plate. Hmm.
I emailed the council and now they are saying Monday morning, but as usual don’t know what time, what a joke. They will have it open Tuesday as Yorkshire show starts.
“A59 to reopen ahead of schedule – Major repair works have been completed ahead of schedule on one of North Yorkshire’s main highways”
http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=16566