Dewsbury & Batley Cycle Routes

Cycle Kirklees (KCC) has submitted a detailed response to cycling proposals between Dewsbury, Batley and Chidswell and in Batley town centre. We support changes to streets to promote active travel and help to improve road safety. 
Public resistance to cycling and walking is often due to concern about traffic dangers, so plans to remove as much parking as possible from busy routes to allow space for cycle infrastructure, decrease street ‘clutter,’ and improve the walking environment are essential. 
KCC is sympathetic to the difficulties facing Kirklees Council in retrofitting high quality walking and cycling infrastructure on a busy and, at times, narrow local network. We believe securing public support for climate friendly measures is also essential and we wil play our part in this process.
In the submission to West Yorkshire Combined Authority we have made the following key points:  
The A652, Bradford Road, has good potential to be an attractive route for cycling between the towns of Dewsbury and Birstall due to the low gradient along the whole corridor; Batley Rail Station and Batley town centre are both priority trip generators and should therefore have good access for people walking and cycling.
Grange Road has been previously indicated by Kirklees Cycling Campaign as an ‘easy win’ to develop a safe route between Batley and Ossett and could provide an important link from the new developments at Chidswell to Batley and the rail station
Soothill Lane includes a 1km hill with gradients over 14% which may be avoided by people on bicycles due to the effort of riding this terrain.

Kirklees Cycling Campaign – Dewsbury-Batley-Chidswell submission pdf