FAQs
General project queries
Cycle Paths: A two-way cycle path along the route with a protective buffer separating it from the road will provide a safer and easier to follow route for people who want to cycle.
Improved Bus Stops: Upgraded shelters with seating, lighting and CCTV will improve comfort and sense of safety. Real-time information will help bus passengers travel with confidence.
Enhanced Crossings: Road-level toucan crossings and priority for pedestrians and cyclists at side roads will make it safer and more convenient to walk, wheel and cycle.
Better Footpaths: Making walking and wheeling more accessible in a nicer environment.
Bus Lanes: Dedicated bus lanes in both directions will make buses more reliable and convenient.
Subway Removal: Filling in subways and replacing them with road-level crossings will enhance the sense of safety for pedestrians.
Road Widening: Making space for two lanes of traffic in each direction along most of the route will help to reduce congestion and ensure traffic flows more smoothly.
What are you proposing to do?
Across the whole route:
Wakefield Road only:
Tong Street only:
What improvements are proposed along the A650 Wakefield Road and Tong Street?
We want to make it easier for everyone to get about as part of their busy lives. Around one in three people living in Tong, Holmewood and Bierley, and just under half of people living in Bowling and Barkerend, don’t own a car. Yet as a key route into and out of Bradford, up to 37,000 vehicles drive along this section of the A650 each day. This causes congestion which reduces the reliability of public transport, while the lack of walking, wheeling, and cycling infrastructure further isolates local people who don’t drive. This means that essential travel is challenging for many households along the route, affecting their ability to get to work on time, pick up children from school, or attend appointments.
By making these changes, we also hope to make the route more attractive for people to walk, wheel or cycle instead of taking their car, particularly for shorter journeys. As well as the personal health benefits these active methods of travel bring, it will also help reduce emissions, supporting Bradford Council’s commitments to improving air quality and the environments in which we live.
Why are there some changes on certain sections of the route, and not on others?
Our proposals are designed to address the different challenges faced along inner (Wakefield Road) and outer (Tong Street) sections of the A650. Along Wakefield Road, where traffic is heavier and a larger number of bus services operate, we will introduce new bus lanes to help reduce delays to bus services, improving service reliability across the length of the bus route. Further out of the city centre, on Tong Street, there are fewer bus services and so bus lanes are of less benefit. Instead, by introducing an extra lane for all vehicles travelling in each direction we can improve traffic flows for bus services and private vehicles alike.
What stage is the project at?
The project is currently in consultation – we want to hear your thoughts on the proposals. All the feedback we receive during this consultation will be considered by the project team once the consultation has closed, along with any learnings from other Bradford Council projects currently being delivered. The proposals will be reviewed and updated, before being presented to Bradford Council for their consideration.
How is the scheme funded?
Subject to a successful business case the A650 Connect: Wakefield Road and Tong Street scheme will be fully funded by the Department for Transport, with money allocated through different government funding streams to support specific transport projects.
The Tong Street section of the project is forecast to cost £25m, with a mix of Department for Transport and West Yorkshire Combined Authority funding being sought.
The Wakefield Road section of the route is expected to cost £20m and could be funded through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, an £830m fund awarded to West Yorkshire by the previous government in 2022.
Although these funding streams are allocated separately, they all work together to support Bradford Council’s vision of delivering a modern, integrated transport network that benefits local people while protecting other council services.
Why don’t you spend the money on something else?
The money for the A650 Connect road improvements is not coming from the local council budget. The money is coming from UK government funding for sustainable transport projects which can only be spent on projects that improve public transport, walking, wheeling and cycling.
Transport impact queries
How will the scheme impact drivers?
We believe that everyone should have access to safe, reliable transport and be able to enjoy the benefits of mobility, however, the reality is that currently our roads only favour motor vehicles. Not everyone has access to a car and not everyone who has a car wishes to use it for every journey, but they often have no choice because there isn’t enough support for other alternatives. The work throughout the Bradford district to create space for cyclists, accessible streets for pedestrians and a reliable and accessible bus network will help to make these alternative methods of travel more attractive.
By improving the offer of alternative methods of travel, we will also reduce the number of vehicles on the road, which will help reduce congestion. This will benefit those who do need to take their car by reducing journey times when travelling along this section of A650. As well as this, walking, wheeling and cycling brings benefits to personal health, and also to the environment from reduced emissions.
How will the scheme improve bus services?
Two key aspects impact bus services. One is coordination of services and frequency, while the other is the road network they run on.
Currently, bus services are caught up in congestion at peak times. If bus services are held up in traffic, services can become unreliable and timetables are not met across the whole bus network. This undermines confidence in the service and means people cannot trust that they can use the bus to get to work, access appointments, or pick up children from school, on time. Given that more than 50% of people in Holmewood don’t own a car, we have designed our proposals to enable residents and anyone travelling along this route to easily access other methods of transport such as buses and cycling.
However, while we are reallocating some road space, people will still have the option of using the car to travel to the city centre and our scheme still offers significant benefits for car users along many sections of the A650.
How will the scheme improve things for pedestrians?
The proposals include new and upgraded footways along much of the route. Some sections of the footways will be shared-use for people walking, wheeling and cycling, while other sections will have a two-way cycle track separated from the footway and the road, making it easier and safer for people to walk along the route.
We will also be adding new signalised crossings at road level to many of the intersections with side roads. By giving pedestrians priority over cars and improving the crossings, we hope to make it easier and more reliable for people to travel along the route by foot.
How will the scheme improve things for cyclists?
The proposals include a range of measures to benefit cyclists. Along the north side of Tong Street and the west side of Wakefield Road, we would add a two-way cycle path with a buffer to separate it from the carriageway. This will make it safer and easier for people to cycle. Although a full cycle path along the entire route is not possible within the scheme design, the sections between the cycle paths will be for shared use, meaning that cyclists can continue their journeys without needing to join traffic. As well as this, we will also be improving several junctions with road level, signalised crossings, giving cyclists and pedestrians priority over cars when crossing.
We will also be looking at adding further cycle routes and shared footways in future projects in the area, subject to the availability of future funding and successful future business cases.
How will the scheme support people with disabilities?
The proposals include new and upgraded footways along much of the route. These upgraded footways will be smoother and safer to walk on. We will also be adding shared-use footways and two-way cycle routes, which can be used by people in wheelchairs or mobility scooters.
We will also be adding new signalised crossings to many of the intersections where there are side roads. The filling of the subways will make it safer and easier for people with mobility aids to cross the road, with the new crossings at road level. By giving people priority over cars and improving the crossings, we hope to make it easier and more reliable for people to use the footways to travel along the route.
What are the benefits of widened roads?
By widening roads along the route, we can accommodate more vehicles which will improve traffic flow and reduce congestion, especially at peak times. Our proposals include measures to make space for two lanes of traffic in each direction along Tong Street, which will ensure vehicles can get into and out of Bradford more smoothly.
Where would the land needed to widen the road come from?
Details of the precise land requirements are still being finalised. However, most of the land needed to widen the roads on Tong Street is already owned by Bradford Council and was purchased for this purpose. Some additional land may be required, either temporarily or permanently, to support the project. However, the Council would work to keep this to a minimum, supporting anyone affected, and ensuring all local owners, occupiers, and stakeholders are well informed at each stage of the project.
Will the project result in any tree loss along the route?
The project team are considering all options along the route to minimise impact on trees and identify opportunities to enhance green spaces. We are committed to increasing tree cover, ensuring that for any tree removed, two will be planted in its place. We are also carrying out extensive efforts to assess where impact can be minimised and we will share the final details of this at the next stage of the project’s development.
Consultation queries
Monday 17 March 2025, 5:15pm-8:30pm: Tong Leadership Academy Dance Studio, Westgate Hill Street, Bradford, BD4 6NR
Saturday 22 March 2025, 10am-2pm: Bradford Academy, Teasdale Street, Bradford, BD4 7QJ
Tuesday 25 March 6pm-7pm: Zoom, register to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ljYP1T5UTNGtj71DYO234g(External link)
How can I have my say on the changes?
To hear feedback from those who use the route the most, we are hosting a public consultation from 4 March to 6 April 2025. Throughout this consultation, you will be able to share your views and concerns through a survey on our project website. A paper version is also available on request, along with accessible versions in braille, large print, or alternative languages where required.
If you would prefer, you can also contact a member of our team over email at info@a650connect.com(External link), over the phone on our freephone line (0808 196 9119) or by freepost (FREEPOST BFD Highways), who will be happy to help with taking your feedback in a way that best suits you.
We will also be holding public drop-in events and a webinar on the below dates:
What are the next steps?
We are now consulting on the proposals. The consultation will remain open until 6 April 2025. Once the consultation has closed, the project team will consider all the feedback received, and use it to review the proposals. Once the team have finalised the design of the projects, we will submit them to Bradford Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority for review and approval. This will then be followed by the submission of the Outline Business Case (OBC).
How will feedback from the public consultation be incorporated into the final plans?
Once the consultation has closed, the project team will consider all the feedback received, and use it to review the proposals. Once the team have finalised the design of the projects, we will submit them to Bradford Council for review and approval.
How will I be able to find out more and be kept up to date on the progress of the scheme?
You can check back on our project website to keep up to date with the project following the public consultation. You will also be able to view the consultation report once the feedback has been analysed.
How does this scheme impact on the proposed Mass Transit route?
In summer 2024, West Yorkshire Combined Authority consulted the public on different options for a new tram system in West Yorkshire. We consulted on three potential routes for a Bradford Line (connecting Bradford and Leeds city centres), and seven options for a Leeds Line (four in central Leeds, and three in south Leeds).
Two of the three proposed route options for the Bradford Line may run along a section of the A650. However, no decision has been made on our preferred routes at this time. We are currently in the process of analysing the feedback received during our initial consultation and continuing to evolve the detailed design. Once a decision on a preferred route is made, our revised proposals will be put forward for public consultation in early 2026.
You can find more information on the Your Voice Mass Transit Hub: https://www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/hub-page/mass-transit
How does this scheme impact on the Bradford Southern Gateway scheme?
The Bradford Southern Gateway scheme is a long-term regeneration vision for Bradford’s City Centre. The aim of the project is to create a thriving, modern and connected economic heart for Bradford by 2050.
The scheme is in its early stages of development and has not yet been allocated funding at this stage. Any designs in the future would include and build on the improved A650 corridor, as a major arterial route into the City Centre from Bradford’s south-east and beyond.
What is happening with the Cutler Heights scheme?
Bradford Council is working with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to improve key routes in Cutler Heights and the surrounding areas.
The scheme has proposed improvements to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and increase road safety on Rooley Lane, Dudley Hill Roundabout, Cutler Heights Lane and Dick Lane.
We consulted on the project in summer 2021, and are reviewing the feedback received to feed in to the final scheme report. When we have further information to share, we will update the project website here: https://www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/cutlerheights