We celebrated on the Spen Valley Greenway in West Yorkshire last weekend to launch a new section of path, which is now safer and more accessible for people to use on foot, mobility aid or cycle.
A smoother surface and improved access ramps make the path much easier for people using mobility aids, pushchairs and adapted cycles. Credit: Chris Foster
Spen Valley Greenway was once a railway, and is now a very popular, traffic-free path for people who are walking, cycling or using a mobility aid.
At peak times the Greenway was getting congested with different people using it.
Parts of the path had been damaged by tree roots, and accessibility onto the path was difficult for people using wheelchairs, scooters, adapted cycles or pushchairs.
A survey of local residents, particularly women, said they felt unsafe using the path after dark.*
Safer and more accessible for all
We worked with Kirklees Council to lay a new smooth surface and improve access ramps along a 2km stretch of the popular path, from Cleckheaton to Liversedge.
The team installed new LED lighting along this section and widened the path to three metres to give everyone more space to move on the route.
They also improved access ramps at several locations along the route, to make it easier for people of all abilities to use the Greenway.
The project was funded by West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transforming Cities Fund, as part of the A638 Dewsbury – Cleckheaton Sustainable Travel Corridor.
It aims to connect communities to jobs, training, education and services in Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Cleckheaton and beyond.
More room for mobility aids and adapted cycles
Local residents joined in the open day festivities by decorating their bikes and playing pedal-powered arcade games. There was also a chance to try out a range of adapted cycles along the path.
Geoff Render rides a tricycle following a cycling accident. “Last year this section was bumpy and there were tree roots in the way,” he explains.
“Now I can get on that bit and not worry about falling off".
Kim Leadbeater, MP for Spen Valley, and our chief executive Xavier Brice (second from right) celebrated improvements on the path with the local community. Credit: Chris Foster
Kim Leadbeater, MP for Spen Valley, cut a ribbon to launch the new path. She said: “The Spen Valley Greenway is such a fantastic asset for the area, connecting communities with a beautiful place away from traffic, to walk, wheel and cycle.
“These improvements will help make it easier for people of all abilities to access the path, and the shops, amenities and transport links along it.
“The greenway will play a vital role to enable more people to choose healthier and greener alternatives to motor transport.”
Chief executive Xavier Brice attended the launch.
He said: “The Spen Valley Greenway is a perfect example of what happens when people have access to healthier transport choices.
”At peak times it’s bustling with families on bikes, children walking or wheeling to school, and people commuting to work, study or railway stations.
“The new surface and access ramps open up the path to many more people, using mobility aids, buggies and larger cycles.”
Tandem riders on the Spen Valley Greenway. Credit: Chris Foster
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said:
“I’m proud that we’re improving greenways like this so that more people can experience our region’s beautiful countryside.
“Being outside is great for your health and wellbeing, however you choose to get around West Yorkshire.
“Creating safe, accessible walking and cycling routes for everyone is an important part of our vision for an integrated Weaver Network and a better-connected region.”
The Spen Valley Greenway is a 12 km-long traffic-free route between Ravensthorpe in Dewsbury and Low Moor railway station in Bradford. It runs parallel to the A638 and offers a healthy, sustainable alternative to commuting by car.
In 2024 we upgraded the section between Oakenshaw and Cleckheaton. We are working with partners to find funding to widen and improve more sections of the route, and install lighting.
A 2024 survey on Spen Valley Greenway by Walk Wheel Cycle Trust found that only 19% of people felt safe on the greenway after dark. When considering responses only from women, only 10% felt safe on the greenway after dark.
