Building Active Travel in Kirklees: A Look at LCWIP3 Progress

Last week, members of Cycle Kirklees got a behind-the-scenes look at the progress of West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s (WYCA) LCWIP3 for the Kirklees area.

LCWIPs, or Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans, were introduced as part of the UK Government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) in April 2017. The goal was to make active travel—like cycling and walking—a priority. LCWIPs provide councils with a structured framework to identify improvements to streets and networks, making them safer and more accessible for walking and cycling. These plans take time and are developed collaboratively by councils, experts, and communities to ensure they meet local needs. The idea is to create long-term blueprints that encourage greener, healthier ways to travel.

Kirklees Council launched its first LCWIP in autumn 2019. This initial phase focused on walking improvements in Dewsbury town centre and a cycling corridor on Wakefield Road in Huddersfield. With the highest potential for cycling in the borough, Wakefield Road became the focus of a two-way cycle track project between Shorehead Roundabout and Waterloo. However, this work has been paused indefinitely due to funding issues.

Cycle Kirklees has been vocal about the lack of a comprehensive cycling network in Kirklees. In recent years, potential greenway routes have been lost to housing developments, land has been withheld by developers, and vital connections have been overlooked in new infrastructure. This piecemeal approach highlights the need for a clear, cohesive plan.

WYCA began work on the second phase of LCWIPs (LCWIP2) in 2020, aiming to develop a detailed cycling and walking network for West Yorkshire and identify five priority routes for each authority. By 2022, consultants reported that LCWIP2 was nearly complete, with final adjustments to ensure adequate road widths for cycling infrastructure. To our knowledge, LCWIP2 was completed in August 2023, yet the details, including the five key routes, remain unpublished despite repeated enquiries.

Image: A community group share a ride on an all-too-rare traffic free route

Earlier this year, WYCA began developing LCWIP3. Last week, two members of Cycle Kirklees, a representative from Sustrans, and Kirklees Council officers attended a presentation from consultants showcasing progress on a new potential cycle network.

The LCWIP3 work appears to revisit much of the analysis conducted for LCWIP2, using population data, growth areas, and trip generators to build an evidence-based network. However, at this stage, the proposals are essentially straight lines on a map, indicating broad corridors rather than specific alignments. They provide a conceptual outline of where cycling routes might go, but they do not account for on-the-ground factors such as existing road conditions, obstacles, or the practicalities of integrating new infrastructure into current streetscapes. It’s also important to note that LCWIP3 will not include detailed design work, meaning it will stop short of determining the exact placement or layout of routes. This makes the transition from planning to implementation all the more critical, as the success of these ideas hinges on turning these outlines into functional, user-friendly infrastructure.

The latest LCWIP proposals are promising, with a more structured vision for a cohesive network. However, successful delivery is crucial. Past issues, like road construction on the Wakefield Road route proceeding without integrating cycling infrastructure, demonstrate the need for commitment and attention to detail. Without funding, these plans risk stalling. Currently, all previously consulted cycling schemes remain paused, leaving Kirklees without progress on its active travel goals.