Cycle Superhighway Between Leeds and Bradford Approved

Plans for a new 23km cycle superhighway connecting Leeds to Bradford, dubbed the ‘Highway to Health’, have been approved by the Department for Transport. The plans were submitted in a joint proposal between Leeds City Council, Bradford Council and Metro.

The superhighway plans largely consist of segregated cycle provision, resurfacing the Leeds-Liverpool Canal towpath between Shipley and Armley, 20mph zones for vehicles, and secure bike parking areas.

The upgrades to the 14 miles of the Leeds-Liverpool towpath will grant our city the bragging rights for having the longest continuous cycleway in the north of England.

The DfT will provide up to £18m for the project. Metro is expected to pay around £7.5m, with Bradford Council and Leeds Council splitting the remainder 25/75, owing to the fact that the bulk of the cycleway will fall under LCC’s remit.

Coun James Lewis, chairman of Metro, said, “The ambition is that over the next ten years this route linking the city centres acts as a hub, and there are a lot more spokes being created that lead to other areas.

“By providing safe, convenient and attractive links and connectivity with employment sites, areas of housing growth and key economic regeneration sites, it will encourage more people to use their bikes for commuting to and from work and help reduce the dependency on private cars.”

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