Have your say

Bradford Council wants to consult the local community to test the level of local support for introducing a series trial Active Travel Neighbourhoods (ATNs) to reduce through-traffic and make neighbourhood streets safer and more pleasant for walking, cycling and spending time outdoors.

Improving access to cycling and walking enables people to live healthier lives and reducing air pollution in local communities helps to reduce the negative implications on people’s health caused by high levels of air pollution, which worst affects younger and older people.

We want to design the ATN proposals with input from local communities. Local knowledge is valuable, so we want to know:

• Which roads are used as cut-throughs by non-local traffic?
• Where are there issues with speeding traffic?
• Where are local pinch points for pedestrians and cyclists?
• What local destinations you would like to walk or cycle to?
• Where would you like your children to be able to play in the street more safely?
• Are there any parking issues?

We will use this local knowledge to develop more detailed proposals for the proposed Active Travel Neighbourhoods in the near future, which we will further consult on later in the year, prior to implementation of the trial measures.

Following the second round of consultation, we would aim to install the trial scheme within six months. Should the ATNs be implemented, the measures would be left in place for six months to allow the local community to get used to the new arrangements. There would be opportunity to amend the trial measures in the interim if it was found that the proposals posed a risk to safety. After six months we would then review how each ATN has worked to establish if the trial has been successful. If it is considered the ATN has been a success, the measures may be made permanent, or they may be amended to improve the scheme. Should the ATN have failed to improve the area, the measures will be removed.

Barkerend Active Travel Neighbourhood

The first area being proposed for a trial ATN is Barkerend. Barkerend is a neighbourhood in east Bradford. Between the B6381 (Barkerend Road) and the A647 (Leeds Road), there are a number of streets to the south which feature back-to-back family homes. Feversham Primary Academy School sits at the heart of this area.

Some roads already have permanent point closures to prevent through-traffic and reduce overall traffic levels. Pedestrians can still travel through these barriers, enabling people to get around the area easily without a car. However, the majority of these are not cycle friendly as they do not have dropped kerbs.

Despite this, the number of child casualties caused by road traffic accidents is almost double the city average with Upper Seymour Street/Browning Street/Amberley Street/Harewood Street and Gulpin Street still being used as cut-throughs by motorists.

As well as this, life expectancy for people living in Bowling & Barkerend is lower than the District average while the area is ranked 3rd most deprived of 30 wards in the District for the 2019 Index of Multiple Deprivation.

The Barkerend Active Travel Neighbourhood aims to improve the health of the local community and reduce the high rate of road traffic accidents in the area.

Frizinghall Active Travel Neighbourhood

The second area being proposed for a trial ATN is Frizinghall. Frizinghall is located between two main roads – Canal Road and Bradford Road – which causes high levels of air pollution in the local community. The junction of Bradford Road and Otley Road in north Frizinghall is an air quality hotspot, with levels of NO2 substantially above legal limits.

Despite the availability of two major A roads which are designed to carry traffic around the district, many drivers choose to use the local streets around Frizinghall as a cut through between the two roads to avoid congestion. making use of the two road crossings of the railway in Frizinghall or cutting through the residential streets to access Frizinghall Station which makes walking, cycling and spending time outside in the area less enjoyable and safe.

As a result of these local challenges, Bradford Council believes that the area between Canal Road, Bradford Road, Wharncliffe Road and Frizinghall Road would benefit from measures to create an Active Travel Neighbourhood (ATN) which would prevent through-traffic, reduce air pollution and improve the general environment.

Saltaire Active Travel Neighbourhood

The third area being proposed for a trial ATN is Saltaire. Saltaire is a unique neighbourhood in Bradford District. One of just 28 World Heritage Sites in the UK, its architectural heritage contributes to what is a thriving neighbourhood. Many of the residential streets in the area are narrow and used as cut-throughs by commuters to travel through the area and bypass the A657 (Saltaire Road). The high volume of vehicles driving to and parking in the area degrades the experience and makes cycling and walking around the area challenging.

Traffic modelling on local neighbourhood roads, including Tower Road and Caroline Street (heading eastbound), have shown that between 20%-30% of traffic is comprised of vehicles travelling through the area. Analysis of Google Maps routing options show that GPS navigation systems routinely encourage vehicles to use residential streets in the area, most notably Caroline Street, cutting journeys by just a minute or two.

The Saltaire ATN aims to remove this through traffic to make the World Heritage Site a safer, pleasanter, less congested and less polluted area. This will also enable people to travel more locally by walking or cycling.

The current phase of consultation on Bradford’s trial Active Travel Neighbourhoods is now closed. Thank you you to everyone who has contributed so far. We will now review the data and feedback shared via the consultation as we begin to develop the more detailed design proposals for the pilot Active Travel Neighbourhoods in Barkerend, Frizinghall and Saltaire, which will be further consulted on later in the year. If you’d like to send us further thoughts on the ATN pilot schemes, please email  info@activetravelbradford.co.uk.

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