Access improvements to off-road path completed

The improvements were funded by the Department for Transport

Part of an off-road "green corridor" in West Yorkshire has been reopened following work to improve access for people using wheelchairs and buggies.

The charity Sustrans said it had worked with Bradford and Kirklees Councils to upgrade access and surfacing on a stretch of the Spen Valley Greenway.

The 2.5 mile (4km) section between Victoria Park in Oakenshaw and Whitechapel Road in Cleckheaton was again open to the public, Sustrans said.

Spen Valley Greenway is a former railway line running from Dewsbury to Oakenshaw, near Bradford, and is part of what is known as National Route 66.

Sustrans said upgrade work had included improving access at Laithe Hall Avenue and Green Lane to help people with wheelchairs, pushchairs or adapted bikes get onto the route more easily.

A smoother tarmac surface was also laid, with lumps caused by tree roots removed and the path widened, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Sarah Bradbury, senior project officer at Sustrans, said the path was one of its "most popular community routes".

“These improvements will help many more people use the route, particularly people with wheelchairs or buggies," she said.

"The surface is smoother and wider and it’s easier to get on and off the path.”

Sustrans said the route was one of its most popular

Sustrans is the UK charity which created the National Cycle Network, and owns and maintains the Spen Valley Greenway.

Funding for the improvements came from the Department for Transport as part of its national Paths for Everyone programme.

Kirklees Council said the work would provide a "safe and enjoyable route" and help more people chose more sustainable and active forms of transport.

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