Lost And Gone For Ever? (2)

 Cross Passengers At Crossways?

There are parallel roads between Harrogate and Knaresborough (using parallel in a general sense rather than mathematically!). The A59 (GREEN) continues eastwards to York and carries the ten minute frequency route 1 complex. The YELLOW road via Calcutt (Hookstone Chase and Forest Moor Road) has never carried a frequent bus service.

Joining the two at Starbeck is Forest Lane (also yellow).

Here there has been more infilling of housing a mega Morrisons and some other warehousing businesses.

The 2005 bus map explains all.

Along Forest Lane we would appear to have three routes, 56, 57 and 58 - but be not deceived dear reader; each one is a rural route mostly finding its way to Boroughbridge via a mystifying selection of villages. Today's version is route 21 and very simple!

The service now no longer runs through between Harrogate and Knaresborough, leaving the road via Calcutt to the infrequent 8 that we met in yesterdays blog.

But, in 2005, there was the 108 which served the expansion infill on Forest Lane.

The service started one hour later on Saturdays but, obviously, would not have been much use to "commuters". Most of the development is 1960s style private semis with some larger and posher pads on Forest Lane itself.

Whatever, Forest Lane and Crossways now have no bus service at all.

Horrors of Hornbeam Park

If you continue westwards along Hookstone Chase, the name changes to Hookstone Drive, then Hookstone Road and you will soon pass the entrance road to Hornbeam Park. It would be nice to imagine squirrels gamboling happily amongst the trees and Harrogate folk sunning themselves on the well kempt greensward, but alas ...

... it's a "business park" with loads of offices wherein loads of workers toil away at loads of computer screens all day. Deep Joy.

A little further on, you could turn left into the Oatlands estate, once again started pre WW2 and completed afterwards.

Oatlands was the terminus of another less frequent bus from Harrogate, but with the development of Hornbeam Park, the emphasis of the Oatlands route changed. It became a Hornbeam Park route with occasional forays on to the original terminal loop at Oatlands.

Money from the Hornbeam Park owners ensured that the revised route was much more frequent than the original.

Note two of the four journeys a day that actually made it "all the way"! On Saturdays Hornbeam Park sank into weekend torpor and only the buses to Oatlands operated.

Several things happened to change things.

A new station had opened in 1992 at Hornbeam Park on the line between Leeds, Harrogate and York (it now has a half hourly service; then it was hourly with extras at peak times) ...

... which became more popular. Of course, Hornbeam Park itself has plenty of free parking.

And then the developer money ran out! 

One local observer pointed out that, at commuting times, the conductor on the train was simply unable to collect fares to and from the unstaffed "halt", so, not only was the train quicker, but it was often free!

So now, Hornbeam Park and Oatlands are utterly bus-less.

Of course, Oatlands folk can toddle along to Leeds Road, where they have the frequent and luxurious route 36 (ORANGE) running at least every 15 minutes.

The DARK BLUE route is the "FLYER A2" to Leeds Bradford Airport and on to Bradford.

Just to keep the passengers guessing, it was the 747 when Yorkshire Tiger ran it!

Before the airliner-type route number it was numbered 653. That moved from West Yorkshire to Yorkshire Rider ...

... then appeared in First Bradford blue, yellow and white ...

... before enjoying (?) the beauties of Barbie!

Whatever it was called, it now runs hourly.

Which brings us to the point time on the A2 timetable (above) between Oatlands Leeds Road and Huby Weeton Station.

There is a particular problem with Pannal!

STOP PRESS!

Readers will remember the announement by Stagecoach that it was to withdraw service 200 that runs between Daventry and Banbury.

An article appeared yesterday in the Banbury Guardian.

As confidently (? noot very confidently!!) predicted by our Northampon correspondent, West Northamptonshire Council have found a few pennies down the cushions of the sofa and persuaded Stagecoach to keep going until the end of August.

Until then, the Council is undertaking a "review of bus service needs and provision" within the county."

Again!

Well, it's a start.

 Next Harrogate Gone blog : Thursday 17th March