Accident rates in North Yorkshire are among the highest in the entire country. Despite the number of fatal accidents in Harrogate and the rest of North Yorkshire having gone down by a third, the county still ranks poorly when compared to its counterparts. Therefore, transport bosses have pledged to spend millions improving the safety of the A658, which is a notorious accident and congestion hot spot. As a major road link to Leeds Bradford Airport, the £8.7 million roadworks aim to improve the safety of professional drivers, as well as the more casual one.
The multi-million pound scheme
The West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund will cover the majority of the cost of the works with a £6.7 million grant. While, the rest of the bill will be picked up by Bradford Council. Under the scheme, the Harrogate Road and New Line junction on the A658 will be rebuilt. As a result of the work, the council hope that the road will become safer for cyclists and pedestrians and will also bolster new housing developments in the future.
An ongoing problem
Ask any Harrogate local what they think of the A658 and you’re unlikely to hear a good word said about it. There are currently ongoing roadworks on the road which are expected to last into the summer holidays, thus impacting the well-deserved getaways of thousands of locals heading to the airport. Aside from this, accidents are abundant on the A658 Harrogate Road. A two vehicle collision took place on Friday 22 June 2018, leading to multiple injuries and the police appealing for witnesses following one of the vehicles failing to stop. Meanwhile, a Harrogate cyclist was severely injured in January after colliding with a car, causing a five hour road closure.
Safety first
Speaking of the Roads Minister’s two-year action plan to safeguard vulnerable road users, Julia Mulligan, the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire said “Improving the safety of North Yorkshire’s roads has been one of my priorities over the past five years and remains one of my priorities today as it is of clear concern to the public.” Road officials’ plans are definitely a step in the right direction in cutting the number of road accidents in Harrogate and the wider area. Traffic violations are often the cause of road accidents and should you find yourself involved in an accident due to this, Tait and Hall advise that, “When fighting a traffic ticket you need an attorney who has a good knowledge of the matter and has extensive experience.”
The A658 has long been a problematic road in Harrogate. Therefore, many will be pleased to hear that millions of pounds is set to invested in transforming it into a safer and more friendly road to travel on.
