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Leeds-Bradford Cycle Superhighway open for cyclists

Concerns have been raised about some of the route's design features but the delivery authority hopes it will encourage more people out of their cars and onto bikes...

The Leeds-Bradford Cycle Superhighway opened on Friday, providing a dedicated, 14km cycle route – the first route of its kind to be completed outside London - between Church Bank in Bradford and Leeds City Centre.

Work began on the segregated cycle route after 2013, when the West Yorkshire Combined Authority won a bid for £21m of government funding as part of the Cycle City Ambition Fund programme.

After almost 100 consultation events and discussions with cycling groups in designing the route, it is hoped it will encourage more people to cycle. However, cycle campaigners have raised concerns about the kerb-separated cycle track which, in places, is just 75cm wide.

Leeds-Bradford cycle superhighway just 75cm wide in places

Cllr Keith Wakefield, Chair of the West Yorkshire Transport Committee said: “Cycling is a key element of the integrated ‘Metro-style’ transport network that West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the LEP committed to developing in the recently updated Strategic Economic Plan to support and encourage economic growth and job creation.

“People taking up cycling can expect to lose weight, reduce their levels of stress levels and experience improvements in their mental wellbeing as well as enjoying a quick and convenient way of getting around.

The route, the first of its kind outside of London, runs between two major cities in one of West Yorkshire’s most densely populated areas. CityConnect, the scheme’s delivery authority, says widespread consultation was carried out, a process it says wasn’t easy, given the strong feelings around cycling.

CityConnect defends 75cm Leeds-Bradford Cycle Superhighway

Cllr Wakefield called the route the “first step” in a network that will help more people to enjoy the benefits of cycling.

“By providing an environment that encourages more people to cycle, the CityConnect cycle superhighway will also help to reduce congestion and counter rising levels of air pollution, which recent data indicates that up to 700 deaths this year in Leeds alone,” he said.

What CityConnect describes as an “extensive programme” of engagement will now take place, including cycle training, led rides, Dr Bike sessions, and a Bike Friendly Business accreditation scheme to advise businesses on what they can do to encourage staff and visitors to travel by bike. They hope anyone will be able to use the route, not just committed cyclists.

Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Portfolio holder for Sport and Culture, said the route will improve the environment by offering an alternative to cars “clogging up our roads”.

She said: “In recent years we have been putting together the infrastructure to enable the take-up of cycling. This is a further major scheme, which along with our partners, we have managed to install to open up a more traffic-free route between the major commuting cities of Bradford and Leeds. We urge people to take advantage of it as far as they are able.”

Concerns were raised as parts of the CityConnect scheme was completed, on the route’s design features, including junction designs which force cyclists to give way at side roads, potentially putting them into conflict with turning vehicles, and narrow widths at bus stops. This problem Cycling UK’s Policy Director, Roger Geffen, attributed to a lack of national design standards to guide councils new to designing and building cycle infrastructure.

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severs1966 | 7 years ago
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I just got back from the Netherlands, 7 days after this article was posted. I missed the "grand opening" becuase of this.

Note that the grand opening is of a stretch of the cyclepath that is only part of its length, because the whole project is already over a year behind, so waiting until it is REALLY finished would make it obviously 2 to 3 years late.

The likelihood of Leeds building the part in the city centre is starting to look pretty remote. SO the countless potential riders whose route is between Leeds and Bradford are catered for (??) but riding through the city centre, where it is incredibly dangerous, is probably going to be ignored.

I get really angry when anyone compares this rubbish with Dutch infrastructure, and have now made a very direct A/B comparison. It's utter shit compared to what it could, and should, have been, especially for the ENORMOUS amount of money they have pissed up the wall building it.

The blame lies squarely with the planners/builders. They designed it wrong, lied to the consultations, and then built something inadequate and different to the plans. If they did this with a "car superhighway" they would be fired.

It would be shocking how they could fuck it up so badly if it were not for Leeds' track record of hating bike riders and favouring cars above all else. Councillor Wakefield should be apologising, not celebrating.

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Silver Rider | 7 years ago
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1. It doesn't link Leeds and Bradford, it links Bradford to a 40mph 3-lane dual carriageway approximately 1 mile from the centre of Leeds.  They bottled it on providing a link into the centre and leave cyclists stranded some distance from where they want to be (with a short bit of shared pavement and multiple toucans taking you to Wellington St where you're on your own again).  That'll definitely get the nervous riders commuting, won't it?

2. If the gravel-strewn bumpy surface along Armley Rd outbound is counted as 'finished'  then colour me disappointed.  Did someone actually sign that off?  Have they ridden a bike, ever?  Bike lanes should be smoother than roads, if you want to encourage people onto them. My 23mm tyres are staying on the highway (which, incidentally, has been resurfaced very nicely, probably with some of the £29million of cycling money).  And what the hell is going on around Westerley Croft?  Shared (existing) pavement with dips, cracks and big puddles, replacing a painted lane in the main carraigeway (yup, they've actually *removed* infrastructure here). Really?

3. Parking enforcement keeping vehicles out of the lane will need to be a round-the-clock operation, judging by the lax obedience of takeaway shop drivers in Armley (no, it doesn't make it OK if you stick the hazards on).  

4. No signs have been provided indicating that the tracks are (mainly) mono-directional, and some of the confusing layouts channel people into travelling the wrong way, e.g Armley Rd outbound near the footbridge.  I'm aware of one injury-causing accident due to this already, affecting a fairly experienced cyclist.  Nervous muggles on hybrids will be lambs to the slaughter.

So many of the problems  just seem down to laziness, not cost.  They just haven't been bothered to make this work, it's almost like they want it to fail.

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brooksby replied to Silver Rider | 7 years ago
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Silver Rider wrote:

3. Parking enforcement keeping vehicles out of the lane will need to be a round-the-clock operation, judging by the lax obedience of takeaway shop drivers in Armley (no, it doesn't make it OK if you stick the hazards on).  

Given the number of people driving all sorts of motor vehicles, that think it's acceptable to park anywhere so long as you leave your hazards on, this doesn't surprise me.  Unfortunately, parking enforcement being what it is, I think this another aspect of the great 'Roads are the New Wild West' thing...

Quote:

4. ... I'm aware of one injury-causing accident due to this already, affecting a fairly experienced cyclist.  Nervous muggles on hybrids will be lambs to the slaughter.

Don't necessarily have a go at the muggles on hybrids.  Some of them can be quite fierce yes

I ride a hybrid and am pretty confident, and you can find overly nervous riders on all sorts of bikes.

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Accessibility f... | 7 years ago
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Looking at the photograph, a car is parked on the cycle lane. How typical.

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Simon E | 7 years ago
1 like

"What CityConnect describes as an “extensive programme” of engagement will now take place, including cycle training, led rides, Dr Bike sessions, and a Bike Friendly Business accreditation scheme to advise businesses on what they can do to encourage staff and visitors to travel by bike. "

Saldly, I suspect this will make sod-all difference to commuting numbers. It will not persuade people to stop using their cars and cycle instead.

75cm wide? Pathetic.

It's a token step, a wholly inadequate one, a box-ticking exercise. They "hope" but do not expect. I bet none of those involved in making the decisions will actually ride the route themselves on a regular basis.

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the little onion replied to Simon E | 7 years ago
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Simon E wrote:

It's a token step, a wholly inadequate one, a box-ticking exercise. They "hope" but do not expect. I bet none of those involved in making the decisions will actually ride the route themselves on a regular basis.

 

The structure of city connect is that there is a small central team working on the marketing and communications aspects, and setting up the meetings. The actual power and resources and deicison making on the project design etc lies in the various local councils, both civil servants and councillors. I know the City Connect central team use the various bits of path regularly, and their off-the-record views on the project are well known amongst local campaigners! They are mostly ex-sustrans folk (Sustrans being notorious for supporting crap infrastructure), which makes their off-the-record views even more remarkable.

 

But the people who actually designed, funded and signed off the infrastructure? They will never use it.

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headingley | 7 years ago
2 likes

I'll assume that the little onion has riden the route - most local critics certainly haven't been anywhere near either the cycle route, a bike or both. Most critics are obviously anti-cyclist. Yes, there are problems with this route particularly at some side-road junctions towards the western end. Yes, some parts are unclear, more green paint would help. Yes, at some bus stops the track does narrow-down, but it's not for much more than the length of the bus stop and is not difficult to negociate.  Remember it has been added to an existing road. I'd sooner ride on this than that road now - and long lengths of the route are pretty good. Steep learning curve for all involved and there will be more to come I'm sure.

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Malaconotus replied to headingley | 7 years ago
2 likes

headingley wrote:

I'll assume that the little onion has riden the route - most local critics certainly haven't been anywhere near either the cycle route, a bike or both. Most critics are obviously anti-cyclist. Yes, there are problems with this route particularly at some side-road junctions towards the western end. Yes, some parts are unclear, more green paint would help. Yes, at some bus stops the track does narrow-down, but it's not for much more than the length of the bus stop and is not difficult to negociate.  Remember it has been added to an existing road. I'd sooner ride on this than that road now - and long lengths of the route are pretty good. Steep learning curve for all involved and there will be more to come I'm sure.

 

You use the fact it is alongside s major road to defend it?! Why is it alongside a major road when that dooms it to fatal compromises? The route is wrong. This is a basic mistake and criticism of it was laughed off in the very early stages when it was pointed out that this is exactly what the Dutch, who separate networks properly, don't do.

 

'More to come?'  Absolutely no chance. £30M windfalls come once in a generation. It is a staggering sum to spend on cycle infrastructure and the outcome is breathtakngly bad considering this. As a Leeds resident who cycles every day, doesn't own a car, and is absolutely committed to the idea that good cycle infrastructure can transform cities and make citizens happier and healthier I don't want a single penny spent here until the ineptitude of this design and implementation is recognised and apologised for.

 

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the little onion | 7 years ago
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To the councillor who called this a "first step" - now, I am sure that the Department for Transport are itching to throw you another £30 million, after you pissed the last lot of money away on some abysmal infrastructure. You don't multiple shots at creating these routes, you only get one chance, because there won't be any more money.

 

And you cocked up big time on this one.

 

There was lots of consultation, which has been systematically ignored. All the local cycle campaigns have very strong words to say about the design, execution and communication strategy of City Connect.

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