Improving Huddersfield Town Centre for pedestrians and cyclists
We are seeking the views of residents on plans to improve access for people travelling by bike or on foot in and around Huddersfield Town Centre in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Where are the improvements planned?
The proposed improvements on Cross Church Street, Queen Street and Queensgate – key routes through the town centre – aim to encourage more people to make more everyday journeys by bike or on foot.
It forms part of Kirklees Council’s Huddersfield Blueprint – a ten-year vision to create a thriving, modern-day town centre – which was launched on 26 June.
Why is the Blueprint important?
The Blueprint aims to deliver five key objectives for Huddersfield Town Centre: A vibrant culture, art, leisure and nightlife offer, thriving businesses, a great place to live, improved access and enhanced public spaces.
These proposed works at Cross Church Street, Queen Street and Queensgate will support the Blueprint by improving access to the new Cultural Heart, Kingsgate Shopping Centre and surrounding areas.
Why do we need your views?
The aim is to allow people travelling by bike or on foot to move around and across the town more easily and to create a clean, attractive environment which encourages people to spend time in the town centre.
The planned improvements at Cross Church Street and Queen Street include new walking and cycling zones and access restrictions for motor vehicles. People travelling by bike would be permitted to travel in both directions and improved paving would be introduced which is more appropriate.
Queen Street and King Street will see a new walking and cycling zone between the Lawrence Batley Theatre and Zetland Street, prohibiting all motor vehicles except for permit holders.
Cross Church Street would also see a new walking and cycling zone between the Kingsgate Shopping Centre entrance and Kirkgate, prohibiting all motor vehicles.
This will require a change to the route of Huddersfield’s free town bus and where it stops.
Loading at both locations would be allowed between 6am-10am and 4pm-8pm.
How will the scheme be delivered?
This scheme is being delivered in partnership through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s CityConnect programme, which is aimed at encouraging more people to travel by bike or on foot. Plans have also been developed to improve Queensgate – linking to Cross Church Street – where there are delays, queuing traffic, and limited facilities for people travelling by bike or on foot.
Proposed improvements on Queensgate include a new and improved crossing at Shorehead roundabout and Wakefield Road, a shorter crossing for people on foot on Zetland Street and an improved junction.
There will also be wider cycling and walking spaces as well as footway and highway resurfacing and other enhancements.
These improvements aim to help link the university to the town centre, better manage traffic and make crossing the road easier.
These schemes are funded by the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund and the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of Government investment through the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.
Cllr Peter McBride, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said:
“We’re an ambitious council with a commitment to ensuring all of our town centres thrive. The Blueprint lays out exactly how we will achieve that in Huddersfield Town Centre.
We want our businesses to succeed so we need to make sure people can access them so we attract visitors rather than deterring them. This, of course, involves better supporting people travelling by bike or foot so we’re making Kirklees a greener place at the same time.
These plans will play a key role in helping people better access everything Huddersfield Town Centre has to offer, including our exciting plans for a new Cultural Heart in this area.
I encourage everyone to have their say on these plans and help us to make sure they work for the people of Kirklees.”
Cllr Kim Groves, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transport Committee, said:
“We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Kirklees Council on these important schemes, which will improve access for people travelling by bike or on foot in Huddersfield town centre.
We know encouraging more of us to cycle and walk not only boosts people’s health and saves individual’s money, it also brings wider environmental and economic benefits, which is why we want to make cycling and walking a natural choice for short, everyday journeys.”
Have your say
Come along to one of our drop in exhibitions where the proposals will be on display and members of the development team will answer questions.
These take place on:
- Wednesday 17 July 2019, 10am – 2pm at the Packhorse Centre, Huddersfield
- Saturday 20 July 2019, 10am – 2pm at the Packhorse Centre, Huddersfield
- Friday 26 July 3pm – 7pm at Huddersfield Town Hall
For more information and to have your say on the plans visit our the WYCA website
More details on the Huddersfield Blueprint can be found at on our website.
Take a long look at the photo! Millions spent for what? Almost invisible shoppers.
Spend the money where it’s appreciated, not on a socialist utopian dream.
Ban traffic from the town centre. Ensure cyclists have a safe route into town not clashing with pedestrians. Cyclists also need easily accessed secure parking for their bikes. Provide free electric mini trams for those with mobility problems.
Also, is anyone doing research on succesful urban models in Europe e.g. Copenhagen?
Sod Huddersfield. What about spending some of our hard earned council tax on other more deprived areas in Kirlees
I totally agree with this. Cyclists and pedestrians do not mix and should be kept well apart. Cyclists should be kept off pavements everywhere. They are a danger.
Make all the Town centre a traffic free zone except for delivery vehicles
What about finishing Scholes Lane. 6 weeks on the surface dressing is so thin & coming off in multiple places. White lining still hasn’t been reinstated 🙁
What we need in Huddersfield is more shops, or people walking or on bikes will not be coming into town, it’s getting like a has been town living in the past.
I agree that town centres need to be welcoming places and enjoyable however don’t loose sight that the car for many people is the main source of transport and is proven that people don’t want to give this up. You must ensure that there are plenty of car parks, park and ride which are published across West Yorkshire. If you don’t people will simply go to out of town shops and retail parks where parking is free and convenient for drivers. Consider older people who will not be often to walk that far so easy and possible free park and ride means they can get you into the town centre easily and quick. If councils are serious about keeping their town centres stop allowing anymore out of town developments as its ok to take the business rates from these developments but are often short sighted. There is only a finite amount of money. You need to encourage people to want to come to a town centre not make it more difficult to park your car.
The new centre is a good idea but the design
Is too ‘eastern block’. Must be more architecturally attractive.
Cyclists and pedestrians don’t mix – an accident waiting to happen. Pedestrians and wheelchairs yes.
The plans outlined above are laudable but Kirklees council could further improve pedestrian safety by introducing an absolute ban on cyclists from using ALL walkways and pavements in the town centre. They are a menace!
This MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT ON DEWSBURY IT NEEDS IT MORE THAN huddersfield . IT IS NOT RIGHT THAT huddersfield get all the funding and all other AREAS get NOTHING.
pedestrians/cyclists? wheelchair users ? Has any consideration been given to them? Mobility scooters?
How are you going to implement cycle paths and pedestrians being together in the same pathway areas? You have pedestrians looking at phones/talking to friends etc., bad tempered cyclists because you are in their way, and being allowed to go both ways, disaster comes to mind. The only good to come out of it would be better paving, no falling over broken and uneven paving. Now that would be a result.
Cycles and pedestrians do not mix easily in ‘pedestrian’ precincts. With visually, audially and mobility disabled pedestrians not to mention parents struggling with recalcitrant children they are a cause of accidents and discordance
They are Doing all this but Not once has anything Been said or done for disabled