A revised Active Travel strategy was presented by Tim Lawrence (Transport Strategy & Policy Manager) to the Kirklees Scrutiny Committee (Economy & Neighbourhoods) on 8th December. It summarises existing and planned projects to extend the Greenways Network or to incorporate cycling into new road schemes.
John Lewis, Chair of Kirklees Cycling Campaign, presented an alternative view to committee; extracts of his views on limitations in connectivity are outlined here:
Alternative Cycling Strategy: Towards a Minimum Cycling Network by 2030
“There are several major transport projects which prioritise motor transport and only factor in cycling and walking where it does not obstruct the principal objective. This seriously compromises the Active Travel element as can be seen in the in the example of the ‘Southern Gateways’ scheme.
“This scheme aims to have fewer vehicles queuing at the Longroyd Bridge traffic lights. But it makes no attempt to have an on-road route for cyclists exiting the Colne Valley Greenway and wishing to get to Huddersfield town centre.
There is absolutely no point in spending millions of pounds construction a cycle route from Slaithwaite if it does not link seamlessly to Huddersfield town centre and encourage more people to use a bike to get to work, college, the station and the shops.
“A number of other examples of missing connectivity can be found on Slide 4 of the presentation that was shown to the scrutiny committee. There are also further examples in Huddersfield and Dewsbury town centres.
“I would, therefore, like to make a public request that Kirklees Council identifies the places where links need to be made and prioritises these connections in future planning. Without doing this we cannot begin to have a functioning cycle network in Kirklees that encourages more people to use a bike as a means of transport.”
