Have your say on plans for walking and cycling boost for Dewsbury Rail Station

16 March 2020

People are being asked for their views on plans for a £210,000 scheme to improve walking and cycling links in Dewsbury town centre, as part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s CityConnect programme aimed at encouraging more people to travel on foot and by bike.                                             

The purpose of the scheme, which is being delivered in partnership with Kirklees Council, is to make it easier for people to travel on foot and by bike to Dewsbury Rail Station via the Eightlands Road access point.

Wider pavements with improved surfacing, better crossings and street lighting, 20mph zone and a new cycle route are among the proposals. 

Cllr Kim Groves, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transport Committee, said: “We’re pleased to be working in partnership with Kirklees Council on this important scheme, which will make it safer and easier for both residents and visitors to travel on foot and bike to Dewsbury Rail Station.

“We know encouraging more of us to travel on foot and by bike not only boosts people’s health and saves individuals money, it also brings wider environmental and economic benefits for us all, which is why we want to make walking and cycling a natural choice for short, everyday journeys.

“Leeds City Region needs to lower its greenhouse emissions by half every five years to achieve our aim of becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2038 at the latest - enabling more of us to travel by bike or on foot has a key role to play in helping meet the Combined Authority’s priorities around climate change and inclusive growth.”  

Cllr Peter McBride, Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for regeneration at Kirklees Council, said: “This important scheme will make travelling into town on foot or by bike safer and easier. It will help us to combat climate change, improve people’s health and support the local economy. 

“There will be some big changes in Dewsbury town centre over the next ten years, with £20 million of investment to create a family friendly town where people will enjoy spending time throughout the day and into the evening.  Sustainable, active travel is an important part of the Dewsbury Blueprint, and this is an early step towards making the entire town more accessible for all.”

Cllr Shabir Pandor Leader of Kirklees Council said: “This is one of many improvements being made to roads throughout Kirklees, that will make it safer and easier for people to travel by foot, bike, bus or train. We want to encourage people to use these forms of transport as they help decrease air pollution and have less impact on the climate than travelling by car.  By connecting pedestrians and cyclists with stations, we help make greener transport a more viable option for commuters.   I would encourage anyone who currently accesses the station from Eightlands Road to check out the plans and share their views.”

The plans are available to view online on the Combined Authority’s Your Voice website from today (Monday 16 March) and people are invited to comment before the consultation ends on Monday 13 April.

Last year, the Combined Authority and Kirklees Council were awarded money for this scheme from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund Early Wins.

Improving cycling and walking infrastructure in the City Region is at the heart of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s successful Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) bid.

Last week, it was announced the Combined Authority was awarded £317 million to begin delivering the Transforming Cities Fund programme, which will dramatically improve across to public transport, cycling and walking across the region.