'Vital' missing link' in West Yorkshire walking and cycling route to open next year

A new 1.3km (0.8 miles) section of the Castleford to Wakefield Greenway will link the Trans Pennine trail in Methley to existing routes in Leeds, Wakefield and Castleford.

The Greenway scheme, which is being constructed in parts over a number of years, is being created to encourage more travel on foot and by bike.

The new section will open to the public in March 2021, three years after the first stretch, connecting Methley Bridge in Castleford and Fairies Hill Lock, was built.

Around £370,000 of public cash is being spent on the scheme's latest development, having been approved by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) on Wednesday.

Wakefield Council leader and chair of WYCA's investment committee, Coun Denise Jeffery said the investment would be "crucial" in meeting the challenges public transport is facing because of coronavirus.

She said: "This next phase of the Castleford to Wakefield Greenway will provide a vital missing link in cycling and walking infrastructure as we work together as a region to help as many people as possible take more active options to travel.

"Enabling people to move around our region in a safe way, which doesn’t lead to damaging levels of congestion on our roads, will be absolutely key to our economic recovery.

“By 2027, we are aiming to increase the number of trips people in our region make on bike by 300 per cent.

"This will not only boost people’s health and save them money, it will also help us to achieve our aim of being a net zero carbon economy by 2038 at the latest."

The government is currently urging commuters to cycle or walk to workplaces where possible, given the difficulties of social distancing on the likes of buses and trains.

Local Democracy Reporting Service