Improved walking and cycling routes for Leeds schools among plans for £12.8m Active Travel England funding
Safer walking and cycling routes for schools in Leeds are among plans to boost active travel in West Yorkshire.
Safer routes to schools and improvements to greenways and towpaths form part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s ongoing commitment to get more people walking, wheeling and cycling in the region.
The Combined Authority recently received a £12.8 million funding boost from Active Travel England – and now regional leaders have approved the schemes it will be used for.
Among a host of proposals is better walking and cycling access to schools in Leeds, while safer routes to school will also be implemented in Ackworth and Normanton.
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “Choosing walking and cycling for short, everyday journeys has a lasting impact on people’s health, wellbeing and the environment. These schemes will benefit people across the region by making active travel a more attractive option and encouraging them to get out and about.
“This is a really important part of creating a better-connected West Yorkshire that works for everyone.”
Projects include making streets around schools safer and easier to get around, with two ‘school streets’ sites to be introduced in Bradford, and improved footways, green spaces and junctions near to Ling Bob Primary School and Christ Church Primary School in Halifax.
Funding will also go towards improving the Meltham Greenway, Rochdale Canal towpath in Walsden and walking routes in the Bradford district. The investment will also be used to develop schemes for future funding bids to government.
Since the Active Travel Fund was introduced, the Combined Authority has been delivering on projects that have brought positive benefits to people across the region.
The pledge involves transforming the school run by delivering high-quality, safer routes across the country, as well as creating a national active travel network and delivering integrated transport systems that connect walking, wheeling and cycling with buses, trains and trams.