Cycle tracks offer chance to beat city’s rush hour traffic

Leeds Council hopes the tracks will also help residents to stay fit.

New routes from Alwoodley and West Park will help commuters beat congested roads, allowing them to ride directly into the city centre on specially designed cycle tracks.

The third route runs on Wyke Beck Way connecting Roundhay and Temple Newsam Parks to create a new leisure and school commuter route, as well as making a link into the Aire Valley employment area.

The Wyke Beck Way forms part of charity Sustrans’ Connect2 project, and has received funding from the Big Lottery Fund. Sustrans, which works to enable people to make more of their everyday journeys by foot, bike and public transport, secured £50m from the Big Lottery Fund for Connect2, which is creating new walking and cycling links across the UK.

Leeds Council’s elected member for development and regeneration, Richard Lewis, said: “Nearly 70 per cent of all our journeys are less than five miles with some on congested roads at peak times being just as quick or quicker to travel by bicycle.

“All of the cycle routes are being developed with safety in mind. The off-road routes will improve safety by ensuring that more cyclists have an alternative to cycling on busy arterial roads. With all this in mind what more reason do people living along these routes need to stay fit and beat the rush hour by getting on their bikes and using these innovative cycle routes?”

The new additions form the latest phase of a plan by the council to create an extensive network of 17 routes forming the Leeds Core Cycle Network, planned to open over the next five years.

A route connecting Middleton, Belle Isle and Hunslet with the city centre has been attracting cyclists since last September.

Future routes will link Leeds city railway station to Cookridge, Scholes, Rothwell, Chapel Allerton, Bramley, Farnley, Garforth, South Morley and Cross Gates to Thorner. There will also be improvements to the A64 and spurs to East Middleton, Adel and north Morley.

On completion the project will have created 71 miles of cycle network.