Bradford’s new £3.1 million Canal Road cycleway opens

A community celebration was held on 25th May to mark the official opening of Bradford’s new £3.1 million Canal Road cycleway.

The cycleway is part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s £60 million City Connect programme, aimed at encouraging more people to travel by bike or on foot. The 2.3-kilometre route runs along Hillam Road, Bolton Lane and Valley Road, ending at Lower Kirkgate, near Bradford Forster Square.

To the north, the cycleway links to the existing Canal Road Greenway, which is also part of Sustrans’s National Cycle Network (66) and continues on to Shipley. The route south ends close to the start of the Bradford Leeds Cycle Superhighway, which heads out of the city centre.

Representatives from Bradford’s community cycling groups and clubs were joined by councillor Taj Salam, cycling champion at Bradford Council, for the official opening.

Councillor Kim Groves, chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s transport committee, said: “I’m delighted this important scheme has been completed in partnership with Bradford Council. The new Canal Road Cycleway provides an important missing link in Bradford’s cycle network, connecting people travelling by bike between Shipley and the city centre with employment, training and leisure opportunities.

“We know encouraging more of us to travel by bike or on foot not only boosts people’s health and saves individual’s money, but it also brings wider environmental and economic benefits, which is why we want to make cycling and walking a natural choice for short, everyday journeys.”