Brontë Country: Project to improve walking and cycling trail in Brontë Country misses out on funding

In May it was announced Bradford would receive just £1m out of a £23m Government grant for active travel measures in West Yorkshire. West Yorkshire Combined Authority had submitted £11m worth of bids for projects in Bradford – including the extension of a planned cycle route on Thornton Road and work to improve a canal towpath in Silsden.

Only two Bradford projects were successful in this wave of funding – a £570,000 project will improve pedestrian access to schools across the district and a £475,000 scheme aims to improve pedestrian and cycling access to St Luke’s and Airedale Hospital.

Now a new report by the authority reveals the other projects in Bradford that missed out on funding. One bid would have seen funding to enhance a stretch of the Great Northern Rail Trail between Denholme and Cullingworth. The trail, developed by Sustrans, was developed to create a walking and cycle route between Queensbury and Cullingworth, with much of the route on a former rail line. It makes up part of the National Cycle Network.

There have been plans to enhance and extend the route for years – and a successful Active Travel Fund bid would have provided a huge boost to this. Other Bradford schemes that missed out on funding include the creation of three more Active Travel Neighbourhoods, where car traffic is restricted to improve road safety in certain areas, across the District.

Another bid sought funding to improve pedestrian access to green spaces across the district such as introducing new footpaths to make parks more accessible. West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transport Committee will receive an update on the successful and unsuccessful bids at a meeting on Friday (Jul 7).

A report to members reveals that members of Active Travel England have recently visited Bradford to discuss the unsuccessful bids, and how the Authority could be more successful in bidding for cash in the future.

The report says: “Discussions have been held with Active Travel England to understand the rationale behind the decisions to fund individual schemes. ATE are keen to work with individual Districts to assist in improving the standard of schemes to ensure that they meet the funding criteria set for future rounds of active travel funding.

“The Combined Authority and partner councils have requested detailed feedback from ATE on the unsuccessful schemes. Meetings have recently taken place with ATE and Bradford Council, Leeds Council and the Combined Authority.”