The first phase of the Whitby Harbourside Public Realm scheme has been approved and will see the construction of a junction improvement and the installation of new traffic lights.
The first part of a multimillion-pound public realm project to “flexibly pedestrianise” the area around Whitby Swing Bridge has been given the green light.
The plan, which includes installing new traffic signals at the junction of A171 New Bridge, Spital Bridge, A171 Helredale Road and Larpool Lane, was approved at a meeting on Friday, February 28.
The A171 New Bridge and Spital Bridge junction improvement scheme is set to cost between £600,000 and £750,000 and construction will take place from early April to the beginning of July.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Coun Keane Duncan, said:
“This major upgrade to the junction at the A171 New Bridge with Spital Bridge will help to improve safety for road users and pedestrians.
“It will involve installing new traffic lights, widening of footpaths and the resurfacing of the new junction. There will be four new signalised places for pedestrians to cross.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), he added:
“The new signals will make life much easier for those emerging from the side roads and will improve the crossing places for pedestrians.”
According to a report prepared for the meeting, there is a
“practical need to signalise this junction as, without doing so, it would be very difficult to proceed with the remainder of the Harbourside Public Realm scheme”.
The £2.3m project was proposed and funded through the Whitby Town Deal and is made up of five further proposals across the town, all of which were part of a consultation in 2023.
Officers acknowledged that signalising the junction would improve conditions for drivers exiting on the side roads and for pedestrians but would introduce queueing on the A171 New Bridge and A171 Helredale Road.
“The predicted average maximum queue lengths on Spital Bridge would be 8.7 vehicles, compared to the existing average maximum queues of 24 vehicles as was observed in the peak hour on the August bank holiday in 2022,” a report states.
Councillor Duncan told the LDRS:
“We listened to public feedback from the consultation in late 2023, which found 64 per cent of people were in favour. This demonstrated the public’s support for the plans, with most feedback coming from Whitby residents.
“We are aware of concerns about disruption during the work, and we’re putting steps in place to minimise this and would like to thank the public in advance for their patience and understanding.”
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