New £1.3m cycle route between Pontefract and Knottingley

A new cycle route will connect Pontefract and Knottingley under plans being drawn up by the district council.
The former Prince of Wales Colliery siteThe former Prince of Wales Colliery site
The former Prince of Wales Colliery site

A £1.3m plan to create an 8km cycle way between the two towns is expected to be given the green light by Wakefield Council’s cabinet.

A report to the December 15 cabinet meeting recommends that around £600,000 of Department for Transport (DfT) funding held by the council is used to help pay for the project.

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The DfT cash was left over from the Pontefract Northern Link Road Scheme, which had an underspend after it opened in March.

Coun David DaggerCoun David Dagger
Coun David Dagger

The council will put £121,000 of its own capital funding towards the cycle route and use cash from secured from housing developers as part of planning agreements, the report said.

The cycle route will run from the former Prince of Wales Colliery in Pontefract to Knottingley via parts of the Aire and Calder Navigation.

David Dagger, the council’s cabinet member for highways, said the route would help cut traffic congestions and reduce carbon monoxide emissions from cars.

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He said: “This new cycle way will link two centres in the district, encourage people to cycle to work more and to enjoy our local countryside.

“The improvements will also allow easier access to Knottingley or Pontefract railways stations to travel further afield. Monkhill Station will also benefit from improvements through a scheme to be delivered by the Combined Authority

“There was an underspend on the Link Road scheme and the Department for Transport agreed that we could use this money for the cycle route and I think this is an excellent way of using it and to show that, as well as investing in big infrastructure like roads, we are also investing in modes of transport which will benefit health and the environment.”