Work starts on Leeds-Bradford cycle superhighway

10 years ago I used to commute between Leeds and Halifax most days by bike. Getting in and out of Leeds was horrible and even as a fairly experienced cyclist I felt the need to take to the pavement from time to time just to get away for the aggression shown by some drivers and the general lay out of the roads.

Hang on,

LCC are spend £30million on linking up already existing cycle lanes. Would have been better spent opening up newer routes into the countryside. Otley, Ilkley and Harrogate all spring to mind.

Encouraging people to cycle along Leeds Road from Bradford with the way people drive in that area is tantermount to murder.

I suppose something is better than nothing.

Just spotted on the map they have Kirkstall Road as the A55 not A65 - oops

Will be very interested to see how they get through/over/around Armley gyratory - unless it drops onto the canal?

I live in Shipley and currently travel by road as the canal is a pain - I think it may become a racetrack once re-surfaced (like the bit after Kirkstall is now)

I think the £30m could have been spent a lot better than on one highway joining Bradford. Leeds has such dangerous roads for cyclists in the city, we still don't have a cycle way around the outter ringroad, in fact when I did commute by bike I thought a duel carriageway ring road far safer for cycling on than routes into town and mixing with parked cars, slow moving traffic, zombie peds and nodders.

The problem LCC has had is that Sustrans have created routes in Leeds aimed more at walkers than cycle commuters. The Alwoodley route is a joke, you cant travel more than quarter mile before either a anti motor bike gate and they are covered in glass and in summer used heavily by dog walkers.

Above is an example of LCC at cycle lanes and yes thats a one way road with the cycle lane in the door zone, it also crosses a path and has about a meter of cycle route in the middle of the road, its very odd.

Not quite sure who'll be using this new link, as at either end you'll be deposited into the middle of some fairly unpleasant one way, city centre loop roads. More worryingly, Leeds' record on transport infrastructure is not good: take a look at our guided bus lanes (only work with certain buses), our supertram (years in gestation, never happened) and now the trolley buses could be coming.

Shame Leeds did not take the opportunity to support cycle routes running through North Leeds to the Universities - where usage would be high and uptake rapid.

Woooohooooo for the canal path upgrade!!!

So out of the £30million pot, how much is the link costing? Nowhere near £2m per mile I hope