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Fresh row in Harrogate over UCI Road Worlds graffiti and bill to repair 'devastated' Stray

Six weeks after the championships finished, the arguments rumble on

More than a month after the UCI Road World Championships finished in Yorkshire, arguments over the cost of restoring The Stray in Harrogate to its former condition continue to rumble on – and now, a fresh row has broken out over cleaning up graffiti painted on the road surface by fans.

Torrential rain during the 10-day event resulted in the Fan Zone on The Stray – commonly-owned grassland in the heart of the North Yorkshire town – being closed for the final day of the championships, with flooding and mud making conditions too dangerous.

> Guardians of The Stray in Harrogate claim site has been left with "atrocious damage" due to World Champs Fan Zone flooding

Leeds Live reports that Harrogate Borough Council will need to find an extra £21,000 in funding to make good the damage caused to the parkland during the championships in late September.

The amount is disclosed in a report on the local authority’s finances which is due to be examined by the council’s overview and scrutiny committee, which also reveals a £12,000 overspend by the council on culture, tourism and sport.

The council is however hopeful that the event’s insurers will help fund the repairs due to the exceptional weather conditions during the event.

Now, the Stray Defence Association, which has been highly critical of the state the park was left in after the championships, has turned its sights on another target – the graffiti painted on the roads of the closing circuit by fans looking to encourage their favourite riders.

The Harrogate Advertiser reports the association’s chair, Judy d’Arcy-Thompson, as saying: "During the UCI cycling event these two roads had large amounts of graffiti, in the form of numerous white cartoon-like faces painted on both sides of the road, at approximately a metre apart.

"In addition, the white line down the centre of the road had large and frequent arrows painted onto it, pointing, I assume, in the direction the cyclists in the event were travelling.

"It's not only unsightly but these illegal road markings are potentially hazardous."

The newspaper reports that North Yorkshire County Council, the relevant highways authority, is now cataloguing the graffiti ahead of drawing up a plan for its removal.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate Advertiser has fact-checked five claims made by critics of the event in its aftermath, relating to the cost as well as the condition of The Stray, and found that three are false and only two partially correct.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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19 comments

Avatar
TheBillder | 4 years ago
6 likes

I guess, like many, I would love cycling events to come to my home town much more.

When I ride roads that have been graffiti-ed (?) I find it inspiring, even if it's a faded and slightly hopeful "Go Cav" up a climb. Dangerous? My arse. Given that so many drivers can't notice a painted bike lane, does Mrs van de tramp really think they'll be led to perfidious ends by GO markings?

Actually I hope another event goes to Harrogate ASAP, and some really naughty graffiti goes on the road.

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HarrogateLad | 4 years ago
7 likes

Please dont think we are all like this in Harrogate!

The event was a magnificent showcase for our town, despite the weather.   The vast majority of residents enjoyed having the international vistors milling around (the Belgians were a joy!) and the pubs, hotels, cafes and restaurants were heaving (at least those that made an effort!).

Unfortunately, our local rag is a vehicle for the elderly residents of the town to vent their failing spleens - a sad platform for the disaffected, bored and dying to complain about younger people enjoying themselves, or having any sense of community.  For the Harrogate Advertiser, Judy Arsey Thompson is a go-to rent-a-quote for all ocaasions.  She is permanently appalled, furious, disgusted and "calling for" something to be done.  Nobody has voted for her.  She is utterly unaccountable.  And represents nobody, other than her own narrow self-interest.  But the Advertiser lap her up - it beats having to do actual journalism.

This "graffiti scandal" is just the latest way for her to get her name in lights, and to drag the name of the town further into the gutter.

Please do not fall for it.  Harrogate residents are mostly nice, open welcoming people.  Most of us like the street graffiti.  We live in a lovely town, and have some fantastic cycling country just minutes away.  Please come and see us - maybe in spring once the grass has grown back!

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CyclingInBeastMode | 4 years ago
0 likes

Overspend and yet I bet the event brought in multiple times more than that in revenue plus future visits from tourists. Typical ignorant impatient types, how much would they be using the grassed areas at this time of year anyway, as above, not as if there's no other grassy areas to use. If it's still in a state and not recovering as expected by spring then do what's needed and have a plan of action of how to ensure it does recover properly as elsewhere.

Storm in a D cup as usual with these people!

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Shades | 4 years ago
0 likes

We have one of these associations around us that 'rail against' most things; can't they think of more positive things to put their time and energy into?  Betting they're (mostly) retired, do they need to feel important or something?  I'm sure there's some legal people doing quite well out of this.

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fenix | 4 years ago
1 like

I've been to music festivals that turn into mudbaths each year but by the next one - it's as good as ever. No Idea what they do to 'fix' the grass or even if they need to but someone could ring the Eavis' to see what they do.

Rain was torrential so Harrogate should bear some responsibility.
If they had better weather the grass would be fine.

 1

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hawkinspeter replied to fenix | 4 years ago
0 likes

fenix wrote:

I've been to music festivals that turn into mudbaths each year but by the next one - it's as good as ever. No Idea what they do to 'fix' the grass or even if they need to but someone could ring the Eavis' to see what they do. Rain was torrential so Harrogate should bear some responsibility. If they had better weather the grass would be fine.  1

We went to two festivals this year - Download and ArcTangent. Got completely soaked at both of them and it rained so hard at ArcTangent that our tent turned into a paddling pool with our inflatable mattress floating in it. Not using that tent again (especially as the fastest way of packing it up was to cut the ground sheet to let out the water).

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Rick_Rude replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
2 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

 

We went to two festivals this year - Download and ArcTangent. Got completely soaked at both of them and it rained so hard at ArcTangent that our tent turned into a paddling pool with our inflatable mattress floating in it. Not using that tent again (especially as the fastest way of packing it up was to cut the ground sheet to let out the water).

Why were you not in a tree?

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Jetmans Dad | 4 years ago
1 like

It will probably look like that for a while, given that grass doesn't really grow at this time of year. Treat it properly over the Winter and come Spring, it will be ready to burst quite quickly back into life. 

The only way to deal with it right now would be for the whole lot to be dug over and new turf laid on top. 

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jollygoodvelo | 4 years ago
1 like

OK, that is still pretty poor!  People shouldn't expect it to return to how it was before immediately, grass takes a while to grow, but it is fair for residents to expect the event organiser to ensure that it is in decent condition by the spring, including smoothing ruts and so on.

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Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
2 likes

It is a mess. If I still lived there I would be pissed off tbh, despite the event which I did enjoy. Yes it WILL recover but the timescale for it will destroy any goodwill towards ever holding an event like that again (not they probably will).

People do use the Stray and although there's a lot of it to go about I think it will sour views towards cycling when it gets to spring and people are still not allowed on it.

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Al__S | 4 years ago
1 like

"I don't understand why the Stray Defence Association is getting involved with what's been painted on the road. That's got nothing to do with the Stray."

Reckon a complaint about "lycra louts" "pretneding they're racing ion the world chalmpionships" will be next up

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HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
4 likes

Disappointed that the articles don't feature pictures of what the Stray looks like now... any local readers?

Large areas are really muddy and the whole of West Park Stray is still fenced off. I'd like them to open the paths across it, even if they fence off the grass. As it is now, it blocks my preferred route into town (on foot).

I don't understand why the Stray Defence Association is getting involved with what's been painted on the road. That's got nothing to do with the Stray.

Judy D-apostrophe...a case of nominative determinism?

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londonbrick | 4 years ago
1 like

Thrilling developement as the focus shifted from muddy lawn to van der Poel stencils. #madeinharrogate

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jollygoodvelo | 4 years ago
3 likes

Disappointed that the articles don't feature pictures of what the Stray looks like now... any local readers?

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peakingintwomonths replied to jollygoodvelo | 4 years ago
1 like

jollygoodvelo wrote:

Disappointed that the articles don't feature pictures of what the Stray looks like now... any local readers?

 

From the Harrogate Advertiser - local paper:

https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/news/people/harrogates-stray-may-n...

and 

https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/news/yes-stray-will-grow-back-how-...

To hear the Stray Defence Association,  this is a man-made apocalypse.  However the Stray is not being concreted over, it is just a bit churned up and muddy - though sufficiently badly for the SDA to report the situation to the government. I hear they are not doing much there at the moment so I expect that they will be able to give their undivided attention to grass.  If anyone not local is wondering - other grass is available nearby.  There is plenty more grass just over the road (towards the church over Otley Road) if you fancy a languid mid-winter picnic in the town centre and can walk 10 paces across a road. Or another few yards gets you on to a hundred acres or so. Of grass. 

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HarryTrauts replied to peakingintwomonths | 4 years ago
3 likes

 

Quote:

From the Harrogate Advertiser - local paper:

https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/news/people/harrogates-stray-may-n...

and 

https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/news/yes-stray-will-grow-back-how-...

Having seen these pictures, I think they are missing a great opportunity.  They should be using it for cyclocross!  

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brooksby replied to peakingintwomonths | 4 years ago
0 likes

peakingintwomonths wrote:

jollygoodvelo wrote:

Disappointed that the articles don't feature pictures of what the Stray looks like now... any local readers?

 

From the Harrogate Advertiser - local paper:

https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/news/people/harrogates-stray-may-n...

and 

https://www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk/news/yes-stray-will-grow-back-how-...

To hear the Stray Defence Association,  this is a man-made apocalypse.  However the Stray is not being concreted over, it is just a bit churned up and muddy - though sufficiently badly for the SDA to report the situation to the government. I hear they are not doing much there at the moment so I expect that they will be able to give their undivided attention to grass.  If anyone not local is wondering - other grass is available nearby.  There is plenty more grass just over the road (towards the church over Otley Road) if you fancy a languid mid-winter picnic in the town centre and can walk 10 paces across a road. Or another few yards gets you on to a hundred acres or so. Of grass. 

Looks nasty but, I'm pretty sure grass - er - grows.  Eventually...

 

Avatar
alansmurphy | 4 years ago
5 likes

Report a life threatening pothole and you'll wait a lifetime for action...

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Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
4 likes

At least nobody drew a penis on the road?

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