Rochdale Canal towpath re-opening - update
Saturday, 14 September 2019
Celebrations as the Rochdale Canal towpath at Hebden Bridge
was officially re-opened today
Cllr Kim Groves, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transport Committee, said: “We’re delighted to have worked in partnership with Calderdale Council and Canal & River Trust to improve this section of the Rochdale Canal, which will provide people travelling by bike or on foot through the valley with a safe, scenic traffic-free route all year round.
“As well as providing missing links in local cycling and walking infrastructure, these improvements – alongside other schemes across the region – are helping open up access to some of our best countryside.
“We know encouraging more of us to travel by bike or on foot not only boosts people’s health and saves individual’s money, it also brings wider environmental and economic benefits for us all, which is why we want to make cycling and walking a natural choice for short, everyday journeys.”
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, Cllr Scott Patient, said: “I’m delighted that this fantastic new towpath route is now officially open following extensive improvement works.
“I use the towpath daily, for cycling and walking my dog, and I’ve already seen an increase in people using this much improved facility between Sowerby Bridge and Hebden Bridge. People are really benefitting from this investment and I’m sure it will encourage further use of active travel methods as an attractive alternative to driving along the busy A646 road.
“With more people using this safer, traffic-free option it will also help us achieve better outcomes for air quality, complementing the council’s ongoing work to tackle air pollution and supporting the continued fight against climate change.”
Luddendenfoot resident Rob Glover said, “The canal is right on my doorstep and this means I can get up and down the valley to where I need to be more quickly and safely. Now the surface has been upgraded I arrive cleaner and drier whatever the weather."
Six years ago Rob was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukaemia. “Cycling has been a bit of a saviour really,” he said. “It’s allowed me to take up physical exercise again which has helped me reconnect with the rest of the world rather than staying at home.
“You can tend to feel a bit sorry for yourself but actually being able to get out on your bike and feel the wind on your face makes a lot of difference, and the more you do the more you feel able to do. Cycling has rebuilt my confidence from what was obviously a big surprise and a big knock-back.”
Work is currently underway on a £2.1m scheme to improve cycling and walking access on a 6km section of the Rochdale Canal towpath between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, which is due to be completed this winter.
Official re-opening of the Rochdale Canal towpath near Hebden Bridge
Thursday, 12 September 2019
Important cycling and walking link is to be officially re-opened following improvement works as part of a £2.9m package of canal towpath upgrades across West Yorkshire
Date and time: Saturday 14 September arrive at 10.45am for an 11am start.
Event details: A ribbon cutting on the Rochdale Canal towpath at Hebden Bridge to mark its official re-opening, following improvement works as part of a £2.9m scheme to boost cycling and walking access on four West Yorkshire canals.
The Rochdale Canal has benefitted from improvements to create a high quality 10km route linking Sowerby Bridge to Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge, as part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s CityConnect programme aimed at encouraging more people to travel by bike or on foot, in partnership with Calderdale Council.
Cllr Kim Groves, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transport Committee, Cllr Jane Scullion, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Resources at Calderdale Council, Cllr Scott Patient, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Environment and Cllr Dot Foster, Mayor of Calderdale, will be in attendance.
Location: The ribbon cutting, photos and meeting call will take place on the Rochdale Canal towpath at Hebden Bridge – on the Whitaker Brothers stonemasons side of Station Road Bridge, just off Mayroyd Lane, (nearest postcode HX7 8NS). Please arrive at 10.45am for an 11am start.