FAQs

Bradford Council, in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, is bringing forward a flagship programme of forward-thinking transport schemes, alongside major public space enhancements, that will help us shape and drive forward Bradford’s future regeneration in the city centre and beyond. Our overarching vision is to create a greener, more sustainable, accessible, and vibrant district that has immediate benefits for people living, working, visiting and studying in Bradford today. It will pave the way for future investment across the district.  

The proposals being brought forward by Bradford Council will reduce reliance on car travel and contribute to reducing congestion across the district, providing cleaner air, protecting the health of local people, creating greener, more attractive public spaces and providing opportunities for regeneration. These changes will support Bradford’s ambition of becoming the UK’s leading ‘clean growth’ district and act as an enabler to Bradford being the UK City of Culture 2025.

Bradford’s Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) schemes form an important part of a wider programme of forward-thinking transport and regeneration schemes being brought forward across the district that are helping us shape and drive forward Bradford’s regeneration in the city centre and beyond. 

Through TCF, new public spaces and planting will be created in the city centre, to improve the look and feel of the area and make the city centre an increasingly attractive place to spend time. It will also support more cycling and walking in the city centre to better connect different areas while reducing the impact of major roads that currently dominate parts of key areas in the city centre. Achieving this is crucial to attracting more people to live, work and socialise in the city centre – increasing vibrancy, and attracting new employers to the district, bringing jobs and investment.

Bradford’s TCF programme is also essential to reducing the current reliance on car travel and subsequent congestion across the wider district, ensuring our air is cleaner to protect people’s health. This will be crucial in fulfilling our ambition of becoming the UK’s leading ‘clean growth’ district and the wider region’s ambitions of becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2038.

Investing to improve sustainable transport options in Bradford is in everyone’s interests, making it easier for more people to get about, allowing us to grow the economy and create jobs, increase the vibrancy of our city centre, and support being the UK City of Culture 2025. 

The West Bradford – Cycle Superhighway Extension is an ambitious proposal to better link Bradford city centre to key areas of west Bradford via a new largely segregated cycle route along Sunbridge Road and Thornton Road. The scheme would provide people on bikes with a safer space to travel easily and conveniently between the city centre and areas to the west of the city.

The proposed main route runs along the length of Sunbridge Road and City Road, connecting with Thornton Road, and passing Girlington, Crossley Hall and Lower Grange, before reaching Thornton. 

Additional landscaping plans have been added to the proposals to increase and enhance green spaces along the route, helping to improve the environment. 

The Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) has been brought forward by government in order to improve access to jobs and encourage low-carbon, sustainable modes of transport such as cycling, walking and public transport. With this in mind, a major aim of the West Bradford – Cycle Superhighway is to provide people living along the route with a greater number of transport choices, making it easier for residents in the west of Bradford to make short, local journeys, as well as journeys into the city centre by cycling and walking. 

Providing people with a greater number of options to get around would help reduce the number of car trips made along this route and in the local area. Helping to reduce carbon emissions and congestion along the route as well as would improve air quality and journey times and reliability for public transport. Extending the new cycle route offers the benefit of boosting leisure cycling in the district through better connections to the Great Northern Railway Trail.

The West Bradford – Cycle Superhighway Extension will complement other TCF and highways schemes planned for Bradford to help create a transport network fit for the 21^st century, addressing key challenges such as road traffic congestion, access to transport options, tackling climate change and improving air quality. 

The scheme also aims to support residents living in the west of Bradford to live healthier lives by providing people with the opportunity to be more active, while helping to reduce air and noise pollution in the area. Poor air quality currently leads to around 40,000 premature deaths per year in the UK.

Thornton Road is one of the city’s major radial routes with an average daily traffic flow of over 23,000 vehicles. It provides a connection from the city centre to residential, education and employment areas in west Bradford.

The west side of the city centre area serves multiple communities but is not served well in terms of provision for walking and cycling, with no dedicated segregated cycling route currently in place. This has led to a reliance on private vehicles to carry out even short journeys, with Thornton Road acting as one of the main arterial commuter routes into the city centre.

These factors suggest there is significant scope to increase the numbers of people who cycle to get about the area, and the route will provide a missing link in the strategic cycling network across the district.  

Bradford is the UK’s the youngest city - approximately 30% of the population living within 1km of Thornton Road are under the age of 20 – and 70% are under the age of 50. So, with such a young population, it is thought that more people could walk and cycle if it is easier and safer to do so. Making Bradford more sustainable is crucial to our future success, but we currently lack the necessary infrastructure to enable people to make sustainable travel choices. 

Thornton Road is one of the city’s major routes, with over 23,000 vehicles driving along it every day. It provides a connection from the city centre to residential, education, and employment areas in west Bradford, but is not an attractive place to walk and cycle.

With no dedicated segregated cycle route in place at present, many people who access the city centre rely on using a car. By linking the city centre with key areas in west Bradford, the scheme will increase the number of realistic options for people to use to get about Bradford without a car. The scheme has also been designed to complement previously delivered strategic cycling schemes to the east, north and south of the city through CityConnect and other funding programmes.  

This will help to reduce congestion along the Thornton Road corridor, help public transport become more reliable, and continue to grow our economy, creating jobs as Bradford works towards becoming the UK’s leading ‘clean growth’ district. 

Encouraging more people to walk, cycle or use public transport to travel into and around the city centre will ultimately help improve localised air quality, especially if these trips have previously been made by private car. The TCF programme has also been developed closely alongside wider plans to improve air quality across the city and contribute to Bradford’s move towards becoming net zero carbon.  

• Amendment to the eastern end of the route – Thornton Road/Sunbridge Road

The proposed cycle route was first consulted on in 2021. A review of the scheme design and feedback from the consultation has led to a change to the proposed eastern end of the route. It is now proposed to go along City Road then Sunbridge Road for the final 1.5km, from its junction with Thornton Road towards the city centre, rather than continue along Thornton Road for the entirety of the route, as previously proposed. 

The amendment addresses concerns that the volumes of traffic and narrowing of Thornton Road along this final stretch towards the city centre might discourage people from cycling. As there is more space along Sunbridge Road than along the final stretch of Thornton Road, a segregated cycle track could be built which would make it feel safer and encourage more people to cycle. The change of route also better connects the West Bradford – Cycle Superhighway with the City Centre Cycling and Walking Improvements scheme we are also consulting on.

There would be a one-way, segregated cycle track on each side of Sunbridge Road running alongside the flow of general traffic. The new designs mean that, if implemented, some parking would need to be removed along one side of the road to accommodate the cycle track.

The route change means the new cycleway would no longer provide a direct link to the university or college, though it would run relatively close and would still provide improved access by cycle.

• Removal of the northern spur

A number of respondents raised concerns that the gradient of the proposed spur, linking to the Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI), would be too steep for a cycle route. A design review highlighted that the gradient of the route would make it difficult to ride along and there would also be significant challenges in installing a segregated cycle track. As a result of this, the spur will no longer be included in the scheme, however the route will still run close to the BRI, University of Bradford and Bradford College.

• Detailed design changes of junctions with Thornton Road and some adjoining side roads

To support the introduction of a largely segregated cycleway, some entry & exits from side roads joining Thornton Road and Sunbridge Road may need to be restricted, giving priority to people on bikes in line with LTN1/20 (which sets the standard for new cycle route design), as well as the updated Highway Code. Any side roads that would need to be restricted would be consulted on formally as part of the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) stage.

• Changes to the proposed measures within Thornton village

Following feedback from stakeholders and members of the public, the team has revisited the proposals to continue the cycleway through Thornton village. 

Proposals for Thornton village are currently being developed and will be financed via a separate funding stream. Several options are being considered by the project team, in conjunction with local ward members, and plans will be brought forward in the future. Suggestions for Thornton village are welcome and a detailed consultation will take place on Thornton village in the future.

• More green spaces and improved landscaping proposals

Additional landscaping plans have been added to the proposals to increase green spaces and improve them along the route, helping to improve the environment along the route. While some immature trees may have to be removed to facilitate the segregated cycle route, there will be a net gain in trees as part of the proposals. 

• Secure cycle parking provision

Feedback from the 2021 consultation highlighted the need for secure cycle parking to encourage people to cycle into and around Bradford. Cycle lockers will be installed at Britannia House and Tyrell Square and funded through the Active Travel Fund. Provision will be made at other locations and is currently being reviewed – feedback through this consultation is welcome to help us to identify where the best locations for cycle parking would be.

• Phased delivery of the route

It is proposed to construct the route in two phases. First, from the city centre heading west up to and including the Cemetery Road junction. The second phase would complete the route, from Cemetery Road heading further west towards Thornton village. This then allows the first phase to be completed in time for the UK City of Culture 2025 

This current consultation covers the cycleway across the Thornton Road and Cemetery Road junction, but there will be other highway improvements to the junction that we would like to ask your views on in the future. Further changes to this junction, which is being funded by the West Yorkshire Transport Fund are being consulted on in the near future.

A further consultation to cover Thornton village is planned – this will be communicated through the Your Voice website. 

The West Bradford – Cycle Superhighway Extension is an ambitious proposal to better link Bradford city centre to key areas of west Bradford via a new largely segregated cycle route along Sunbridge Road and Thornton Road. The scheme would provide people on bikes with a safer space to travel easily and conveniently between the city centre and areas to the west of the city.

The proposed main route runs along the length of Sunbridge Road and City Road, connecting with Thornton Road and passing Girlington, Crossley Hall and Lower Grange, before reaching the village of Thornton. 

The provision of the proposed high-quality segregated route will follow the latest national guidance on cycling infrastructure, including LTN1/20 and the updated Highway Code to provide a safe and attractive route for all users.

The cycle route would tie into the improvements being brought forward in the city centre to create a better environment for cycling and walking between leisure and retail areas. The amendment to the route, which now takes it along Sunbridge Road for the final 1.5km, also ties in better to the city centre proposals. This would provide connections into our existing, wider cycle network including routes to Shipley, Leeds and south Bradford as well as National Cycle Network Route 69 allowing people to make longer journeys safely by cycle. 

By supporting the creation of a cohesive cycling network across the district, the scheme would help to make Bradford a more sustainable city, which is crucial to our future ambitions to become the UK’s first clean growth district. 

As part of the Bradford City Centre Cycling and Walking Improvements scheme, cycle lockers will be provided at key city centre locations, providing secure bike storage. Cycling stands currently already available in various locations across the city centre, while secure cycle lockers have recently been installed at Britannia House. The lockers on Tyrell Square have now been removed and relocated to Rawson Place and Morley Street/ 

The TCF programme includes complementary activities to encourage the take up of cycling, walking and public transport, led by the Combined Authority. This package of activity includes initiatives to provide improved cycle parking at businesses, schools and local community facilities.

We are keen to understand where cyclists would find parking useful, and which locations could make a difference to people’s decision to ride rather than drive, so encourage people to let us know.

Encouraging more people to cycle is a priority for both Bradford Council and National Government, who have recently shared their commitment to improving cycle infrastructure in the recently released ‘Gear Change’ paper. Our aim is to make cycling safer and to provide improved routes that are clearer for people to follow because that is what they have told us is stopping them travelling by bike. 

Especially for shorter trips, cycling is an efficient and quick way to get around, and evidence shows that many more people would cycle were the right facilities provided.

Getting as many people as possible to cycle is in everyone’s interests, whether they would like to cycle or not, if we are to grow our economy without adding to emissions and poor air quality and reduce the impact of traffic congestion. 

If we are to reduce congestion and air pollution and tackle climate change, we need to reduce the number of journeys made by car. By encouraging, or making it easier, for more people to cycle, we can benefit everyone.

Many short distance car journeys could be made by cycling quickly and easily, at little or no cost to an individual beyond purchasing a cycle. Modern assisted E-Bikes are inexpensive to run, are reducing in cost and are making cycling easier in areas with hills. 

Research shows that the key to increasing cycling is to provide an integrated network of safe, segregated cycle ways along key corridors that go to places people want to visit and are easy to navigate. This type of network infrastructure has existed for decades for cars but has been historically lacking for cycling, where cycle routes have often been incomplete, difficult to navigate and considered unsafe to use. By reprioritising just a small fraction of road space for cycling, we can make a big difference in the district. 

Central Government has made additional national funding available that can only be spent on building better cycling infrastructure. Bradford is taking advantage of this to create a cycle route network by improving cycling facilities to reduce congestion, tackle climate change and poor air quality, and give people more options as to how they get about.  

In order to support the scheme, at some major junctions along the cycle route, cyclists could be given priority over motor vehicles to allow them to travel more quickly between the city centre and Thornton village.

Modelling is yet to be carried out to assess the impact on traffic volumes. The design process for these changes is still ongoing and modelling of the changes to traffic will be carried out in due course.

The nature of the changes that may affect you depends on your location, however, access for businesses and residential access will be maintained. Please send us further details of the specific location of your property/unit and we can provide more details.

If we can improve infrastructure, we will enable more people to choose cycling as a mode of transport, which helps improve neighbourhoods, reduces congestion on the roads and improves air quality. For the past 50 years or so, most of transport investment has focused on the road network for cars. The TCF funding is specifically targeted at addressing this imbalance and improving more sustainable transport options – something that is crucial if we are to grow our economy and create jobs without adding to congestion and pollution.  

We want to make cycling a viable option for people and to deliver routes which are safer, convenient and continuous so that cycling becomes an attractive option for travelling to a destination, particularly when it comes to getting people to work at rush hour. Giving cyclists priority at some junctions will help achieve this. If we can encourage more people to cycle, it can also help to reduce road traffic congestion. 

Some on-street parking along certain sections of the route would be removed to accommodate the proposals. Proposals for a limited amount of parking removal are shown on the maps and there are no plans to remove disabled parking from along the route.

By improving cycling and walking infrastructure, it is hoped those who are able to cycle and walk for longer distances will find it easier and safer to leave the car at home. If we can get people to make journeys via cycling, walking and public transport, this frees up the road for everyone, ensuring quicker journey times for all.

With national legal targets and local policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions and a requirement to improve air quality, if we do not improve travel options for more sustainable means of travel, we will be unable to grow our economy and increase prosperity in the district and tackle environmental challenges. Addressing these points is therefore in everyone’s interests, whether you are able to walk or cycle, or not. 

Currently there are no plans to remove disabled parking anywhere along Thornton Road or Sunbridge Road.

The cycleway is being designed using the latest guidance, called LTN 1/20. In this guidance, design principles are based around accommodating a wide range of cycles including trikes and cargo bikes. LTN 1/20 states that designs should be inclusive and accessible at every stage of the process, always aiming to provide infrastructure that meets these principles and, therefore, catering for the broadest range of people.

While e-scooters are a less carbon emitting form of transport, it is currently illegal to operate privately owned e-scooters on public roads or pavements, they would therefore not be allowed on the Thornton Road cycle route.

This scheme doesn’t include any major changes for public transport and instead is focused on walking and cycling infrastructure to encourage more people to travel on foot or by cycle rather than by car when making shorter journeys. In turn, this should free up more road space for buses to provide more reliable journey times. A number of bus services also already operate along Thornton Road. 

Infrastructure improvements for bus services will be made elsewhere in the city, however, under other Bradford TCF schemes, including to and from the city centre and as part of the South Bradford Park & Ride and Expressway proposals, as well as the City Centre Walking and Cycling Improvements Scheme.

We are working closely with West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the bus operators on the development of the TCF proposals. Some bus stops will be relocated in order to accommodate the Cycle Superhighway and changes to specific bus stops are shown on the accompanying maps.

Now that Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted, we are once again able to hold face-to-face events as part of the consultation on the West Bradford – Cycle Superhighway Extension. We currently anticipate public consultation in August with an event in September.

We are providing materials online and printed materials are available upon request, so please get in touch if you, or someone you know, would like hard copies. 

The West Bradford - Cycle Superhighway Extension proposals are still at an early stage. Although the designs are entering a more detailed phase, there are a number of milestones and review stages that need to take place before they are confirmed and implemented. 

The early design proposals were consulted on in 2021 and Bradford Council have since reviewed the scheme designs and considered the feedback received so we can present these updated, more detailed proposals. This consultation will ask for views from the community and stakeholders to ensure we have considered all opportunities and possible issues and your feedback will allow us to be confident that our proposals are fit for purpose. 

Once the feedback from the public consultation has been considered, the plans for the West Bradford Cycle Superhighway will be further developed and an Outline Business Case will be produced. This will go to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority for consideration later in the year.

Once the Combined Authority have fed back on the Outline Business Case, a Full Business Case will then be developed and submitted to the Combined Authority for final approval, ahead of scheme implementation. 

We aim to complete phase one of the project in advance of the UK City of Culture 2025.

After the consultation, we will further test and refine our plans and secure the confirmation of each project going ahead through the submission of an Outline Business Case (OBC) to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. 

Once the plans have been accepted, we will then need to get permission to make changes to the roads. This is a formal process where Bradford Council will present Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) on the specific roads we would like to change and how we would like to change them. You will have the opportunity to feedback to Bradford Council during this stage, with further details being made available on how to do this nearer the time.

The plans for Thornton village are still yet to be decided and there will be a public consultation at a later date on these proposals.- please register with Your Voice and select ‘Bradford’ under ‘which areas are you interested in’ to receive updates. 

The government has recently allowed some flexibility on when the scheme needs to be implemented and so we are now aiming to start construction of the Cycle Superhighway in 2023.

It is proposed to construct the route in two phases. First, from the city centre heading west up to and including the Cemetery Road junction. The second phase would complete the route, from Cemetery Road heading further west towards Thornton village. This is to ensure the busier part of the route will be ready for Bradford’s UK City of Culture 2025. 

This current consultation covers the cycleway across the Thornton Road and Cemetery Road junction, but there will be other highway improvements to the junction that we would like to ask your views on in the future. Further changes to this junction, which is being funded by the West Yorkshire Transport Fund are being consulted on in the near future. 

Including the CIP scheme in this project ensures the junction is delivered as a whole, and to minimise disruption while the works are taking place. 

To view the first phase of consultation for this junction, please click here.

Providing an accessible, attractive and cleaner alternative to car journeys is at the heart of Leeds City Region’s Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) - a major new programme of transport infrastructure investment secured as part of the West Yorkshire devolution deal.

The £457 million programme, which is being delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (the Combined Authority) in partnership with local authorities, is being paid for with money from the Department for Transport (DfT) and local match funding.

In partnership with local authorities, the Combined Authority will deliver transformational infrastructure, which will dramatically improve people’s access to walking, cycling and public transport.

It is estimated schemes will improve journeys by bus, rail, bike and on foot for up to 1.5 million people, take up to 12 million car trips per year off our roads and reduce CO2 emissions from car travel by up to 15,000 tonnes by 2036. 

Communities across Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield and York are set to benefit from the schemes, which include new or improved bus and rail stations, cycling and walking infrastructure, and new Park and Rides.

The Combined Authority is working in partnership with local authority colleagues from Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, North Yorkshire, Selby, Wakefield and York councils on the TCF programme.

It is estimated TCF will:

• Improve journeys by bus, rail, bike and on foot for up to 1.5 million people
• Take up to 12 million car trips per year off our roads by 2036
• Make 33 million rail journeys easier by improvements to rail stations
• Increase bus, rail, and walking and cycling trips by up to 6%, 4% and 7% respectively by 2036
• Reduce CO2 emissions by up to 1.5% / 15,000 tonnes from car travel by 2036
• Create more than 1,000 jobs and add up to £1 billion to the economy by 2036
• Support connectivity to 650 housing sites and 220 employment sites

The £457 million programme, which is being delivered by the Combined Authority in partnership with local authorities, is being paid for with money from the Department for Transport (DfT) and local match funding.

A range of options are being developed as part of each business case to ensure we deliver the best schemes, while also considering the ongoing impact of inflation, including the rising cost of building materials.

Building on the significant progress already made, the Combined Authority is working in partnership to transform our town and city centres for walking and cycling, improve bus reliability and journey times, and make it easier to travel by train. 

The programme will connect people to jobs, training and education through accessible, affordable and cleaner transport, boosting productivity and helping create healthier and happier communities for the future. 

It will also help us tackle the climate emergency on our way to becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2038.       

We need to reduce car trips by 21% and increase cycling trips by 2,000%, walking trips by 78%, bus strips by 39% and rail trips by 53% if we are to achieve our ambitious net zero targets in this time frame.

Communities across Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield and York are set to benefit from the schemes, which include new or improved bus and rail stations, cycling and walking infrastructure, and new Park and Rides.

The programme is focused on connecting people in the communities of greatest economic need with job and training opportunities. This will, in turn, help boost productivity, living standards and air quality.   

There are 22 packages of schemes, comprising between 30 and 35 individual projects, within the overall programme.

Schemes are at different stages, right through from the development of business cases and designs, to gearing up for public consultation, with construction having started on the new Halifax Bus Station and White Rose Rail Station in Leeds.  

Find out more information

The programme is being delivered over the next three years, up to the end of 2025.  

The impact of COVID-19 on the region and its economy means it is more important than ever to assess the changes to the landscapes of our towns and cities and the impact on current and future planned schemes, particularly, but not exclusively, those relating to transport.

Although it is generally expected that people’s behaviour will return to the pre-pandemic position in the medium and long-term, the impact on travel into and around towns and cities will be assessed as part of every scheme’s appraisal and any assumptions made to address issues identified prior to the pandemic will be re-tested.

It will build on the significant investment already made through the Combined Authority’s other programmes, such as the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, Connecting Leeds and CityConnect.

Many of the TCF schemes provide enhancements or extensions to the projects being delivered through these programmes, helping to spread the benefits across a wider geography.  

The programme is focused on connecting people in the communities of greatest economic need with job and training opportunities.  This will, in turn, help boost productivity, living standards and air quality. 

For more information about the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund visit westyorks-ca.gov.uk/projects/west-yorkshire-plus-transport-fund 

For more information about Connecting Leeds visit leeds.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/connecting-leeds-and-transforming-travel 

For more information about CityConnect visit cyclecityconnect.co.uk 

Find out more information about the Transforming Cities Fund programme at westyorks-ca.gov.uk/TCF

Details of the TCF consultations can be found at www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk.  You can get in touch with the Combined Authority’s Consultation and Engagement team via YourVoice@westyorks-ca.gov.uk, 0113 245 7676 or Freepost CONSULTATION TEAM (WYCA). Please note that, due to COVID-19, the majority of the Combined Authority’s staff are working from home and there will therefore be significant delays in receiving any postal contributions. If you can, please contact the team using another method to ensure a quick response. 

The bid was led by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in partnership with the 10 local authorities across the Leeds City Region. It was developed in two stages, with a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) submitted to the DfT in June 2019. The final bid was submitted to the DfT in November 2019. The bid documents can be found at westyorks-ca.gov.uk/TCF

The bid was developed in partnership with local authorities across the Leeds City Region, including Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, North Yorkshire, Selby, Wakefield and York. The bid was also co-developed with the DfT, which provided feedback on the plans as they emerged.  In line with other Mayoral Combined Authorities, we are required to feedback on the progress of the programme’s delivery.  

The programme is focused on connecting people in the communities of greatest economic need with job and training opportunities.  This will, in turn, help boost productivity, living standards and air quality. 

As part of the bidding process, the Combined Authority was asked to develop a series of schemes, which could be delivered under three different cost scenarios (low, core and high). Each scheme needed to meet the Combined Authority’s priorities, as well as objectives set out by the DfT, such as reducing carbon emissions, and increasing capacity for commuters with better access to employment centres, especially from disadvantaged communities. 

Schemes put forward by local authorities were scored against the objectives before being reviewed as a programme.  Once agreement had been reached between local authority and Combined Authority officers, the programme was signed off by each of the leaders, as well as members of the Combined Authority’s Transport Committee.