Kim Groves: Getting West Yorkshire on their bikes for healthier lifestyles

This weekend saw the opening of the new £3.1 million Canal Road Cycleway, which provides a missing link in cycling infrastructure between Shipley and Bradford.

30 May 2019

In an article for The Yorkshire Post, Combined Authority Transport Chair Cllr Kim Groves writes about the organisation's cycling achievements and ambitions.

Good or bad, nearly everyone has a view on cycling and its role in the transport network, but I’m very clear getting more people on bikes benefits us all – and the same goes for walking too.

A great place to live

From connecting people with places, to reducing air pollution and congestion, and combatting physical inactivity and obesity, we know increasing the numbers of people choosing to travel by bike or on foot has a vital role to play in making our region a great place to live, work and play.

We are playing our part in making cycling and walking a natural choice for short, everyday journeys across West Yorkshire and York. Through our CityConnect programme and in partnership with others, the Combined Authority is not only building new cycling and walking routes and improving existing infrastructure, we are working to help people change their travel behaviour through a series of initiatives, including free adult cycle training and bike maintenance sessions, online cycle challenges, and support for businesses, schools and grassroots initiatives.

£60 million investment

By 2020, the Combined Authority, through our CityConnect programme, will have invested £60 million in cycling and walking schemes across West Yorkshire and York since 2015. In addition, we are currently developing business cases to unlock a further £12 million from the Local Growth Fund to deliver further cycling and walking schemes.
Furthermore, an estimated £69m from the Local Growth Fund will be spent on walking and cycling improvements within our wider delivery programme up to March 2021.

There are so many reasons why this is important. The population of Leeds City Region is expected to grow to 3.4 million by 2035, with between 10,000 and 13,000 new houses being built each year.

Demand for travel

As the region grows, so will the demand for travel and with Public Health England estimating one in 20 deaths in West Yorkshire are attributable to air pollution, the case for cycling and walking has never been stronger.

Two-thirds of journeys made by West Yorkshire residents are under five miles, yet according to data from the last census, although 11 per cent of journeys to work are already made on foot, just 1.3 per cent are by bike.

Cycling and walking has incredible potential to meet travel demand for shorter journeys, helping reduce congestion and air pollution.

Health challenges

More than one in three of our children in their final year of primary school are classed as overweight or obese. Building more cycling and walking into our busy daily routines is part of the solution to our health as well as out transport challenges.

Thanks to our partnership, working, communities across West Yorkshire and York are seeing the benefits of new, high quality cycling and walking infrastructure, including the Bradford Leeds Cycle Superhighway, the Castleford to Wakefield Greenway, a series of canal towpath upgrades in Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale, and the construction of Scarborough Bridge, York.

Investment delivers result

Work currently underway in Leeds and Bradford will see more than 6km of additional segregated cycle lanes added to the network. Crucially, we are showing that investment delivers results. Since opening in July 2016 the Bradford Leeds Cycle Superhighway has been used for nearly a million trips (953,595 up until the end of March 2019), increasing access to work, education and leisure opportunities in communities facing barriers to participation.

The cycle superhighway is not just catering for people who already cycle. Evidence shows it is convincing large numbers of people to take up or return to cycling. The approach we’re taking is more than just a numbers game. We’re putting people at the heart of what we do, opening up walking and cycling routes to some of our most disadvantaged communities and increasing people’s access to opportunities for work, training and leisure.

Bike Friendly Schools 

We know it’s not enough just to build routes. Through our Bike Friendly Schools scheme, for example, we’ve delivered training sessions at 30 schools near our cycle routes, half of which are teaching children to ride a bike for the first time.

We have a great story to tell, but this is just the beginning. We want to create an environment conducive to everyday cycling for everyone, regardless of ability or circumstances. That’s the true legacy of the Tour de France five years ago, a legacy we are delivering for future generations.

Find out more about the Canal Road Cycleway in Bradford