Celebrating Progress? For Kirklees Cyclists, That’s a Tall Order
At a recent meeting with West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Active Travel Advisory Panel, cycling advocates were encouraged by Kirklees officers to shift our tone – to move from criticism to celebration.
It’s a fair challenge – if we had something to celebrate.
But after five years of slow delivery, quiet cancellations, and even the long-term closure of key existing routes, the question remains: What exactly are we supposed to be celebrating?
A Handful of Completed Schemes
To be fair, there have been a few completions.
Leeds Road in Huddersfield saw 750 metres of protected cycle track installed as part of a wider road scheme dating back to the former administration of Shabir Pandor and Peter McBride. Billed as “revolutionary,” the tracks start and stop abruptly, feeding cyclists into a four-lane road with no further protection. Two years of feedback has been submitted to Kirklees about safety and access issues – and still, no fixes.
Primrose Lane – linking to the Spen Valley Greenway – was funded under EATF Tranche 2 and eventually completed in 2023, years after the funding deadline.
There was also work on surfacing the Calder Navigation Towpath in Mirfield, completed under First Mile Last Mile (FMLM) funding linked to the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU). Again, useful in isolation, but not part of a larger usable network.
And then White Lee Road, where road safety improvements were delivered – modest, but at least visible.
But that’s it. In five years. No continuous network, no significant transformation, and no shift to safe, everyday cycling for most residents.
Routes Closed – For Years
Even the few functional routes we’ve had have not remained open.
Most glaring is the Huddersfield Narrow Canal towpath which was surfaced between Slaithwaite and Milnsbridge. Opened with great publicity by the Mayor of West Yorkshire, the towpath was closed soon after due to a crumbling wall near Longroyd Bridge. Canal & River Trust (CRT) took safety precautions, but years later the path is still fenced off. WYCA have washed their hands of the project and have left responsibility of repairing and reopening to the CRT charity.
Further closures have come as a side-effect of TRU. Sections of Greenway near Deighton and Scout Hill have been closed, with no safe alternative provided. In some cases, temporary diversions were closed too. Cyclists are now expected to navigate multiple kilometres of busy roads, including a dual carriageway, to complete their journey – a huge step backwards.
And now, the Spen Valley Greenway has just been closed for upgrade works. That closure is expected to last six months. While the improvements are ultimately welcome, there’s currently no signed diversion, because SUSTRANS – who help manage the route – have said that no safe alternative exists.
That’s the real story: when these vital routes close, there is no plan B.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Kirklees and West Yorkshire Combined Authority could take responsibility – providing temporary on-road protection or requiring TRU to deliver safe alternatives. So far, they haven’t.
Dropped, Paused, or Forgotten
Beyond closures, many other schemes have simply faded away.
Two schemes from the “Southern Corridors” programme – Queensgate and Shorehead Roundabout – appear to have been shelved. Shorehead was recently rebuilt and resurfaced, yet despite the opportunity, none of the planned cycling infrastructure was included. A key node in the town’s future active travel network has been hardened against cycling for another decade.
While the Spen Valley Greenway upgrade is finally underway (as part of the A638 Sustainable Corridor), the originally proposed links between the Greenway and the Spen Ringway have quietly disappeared.
It wasn’t always like this. The missing link in the Spen Ringway was even raised in a public council meeting, where then–Councillor Steve Hall reassured residents they could “sleep soundly”, suggesting the council had both the plan and the money to purchase the necessary land and complete the connection. Since then? Silence.
Some schemes simply went through consultation and were never heard of again. One example is M2D2L (Mirfield to Dewsbury to Leeds) – a major corridor that promised better cycle connectivity between towns, but it now sits in planning limbo with no sign of delivery. Others – like parts of the Dewsbury–Batley-Chidswell Corridor – were consulted on, then quietly dropped without clarity.
Consultation fatigue is real – and confidence in delivery is fading.
LCWIP: Still in the Slow Lane
The Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) was meant to bring clarity and structure. But so far, only one route – Wakefield Road – from the original LCWIP has been developed and that has been on a long-term pause.
A full LCWIP refresh is now in the works and may come out to consultation by the end of the year. That’s positive, but once again, progress feels tectonic. There’s no indication of what will be delivered, when, or whether the new LCWIP will be properly resourced.
Until that happens, it’s hard to see LCWIP as anything more than another strategy without traction.
What Is Actually Happening?
To be fair to Kirklees, there is some activity on the ground. Happening right now or in the near future:
– Spen Valley Greenway is being resurfaced and widened, with new lighting — though it will be closed for 6 months and still won’t include new cycle tracks.
– Huddersfield Narrow and Broad Canal towpaths are being improved with new surfacing, again, these are welcome upgrades but not new infrastructure.
– A short stretch on St John’s Road is receiving around 200 metres of new protected cycle track with a Toucan crossing over Huddersfield ring road.
– A toucan crossing is being added at Southgate/Lower Fitzwilliam Street, with roughly 10 metres of connecting cycle track.
– And Bradford Road, Liversedge is due to see around 1.3km of new provision, forming part of the wider A638 Sustainable Corridor.
These are not insignificant – they show some investment is being delivered. But taken together, they remain disconnected fragments. They don’t yet make cycling viable for everyday journeys across our district.
What we need now
We don’t need another round of consultation feedback, another paused business case, or another piecemeal scheme that doesn’t join anything up. We need safe, usable, connected routes. We need a functioning network – not isolated fragments.
That means:
* Delivering schemes in full, not in name only.
* Connected routes, not just individual segments.
* Keeping existing infrastructure open and usable.
* Ensuring safe alternatives when closures are necessary.
* Holding partners – like Transpennine Route Upgrade – accountable for the cycling impacts of their works.
* Insisting on temporary measures (like protected lanes) when key greenways are closed.
We’ve spent years feeding into strategy documents, attending consultations, and reviewing designs. It’s time to shift focus to delivery — and to making sure what gets built is actually safe, accessible, and useful.
And as for celebrating?
Kirklees officers recently encouraged campaigners to “celebrate” the progress being made and criticise less. But genuine celebration requires something worth celebrating. Not artist impressions. Not paused plans. Not disconnected fragments. Something real, something rideable, and something that connects. We’ll be the first to cheer when that happens.
Take Action: Join Us!
If you’re as frustrated as we are by the slow pace of progress, it’s time to act. Join Kirklees Cycling Campaign today to amplify our voice and help us push for meaningful change. If you’re already a member, consider joining us at our AGM or semi regular remote or in-person meetings. Your participation is crucial to advancing these vital issues and building the safe, connected cycling network Kirklees deserves.
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