Cycle superhighway: Leeds city centre £7.9m route opens Published duration 19 July 2019

image caption Schoolchildren in Leeds were invited to help launch the segregated cycle route in the city centre

The "missing link" in a major cycle route linking Bradford and Leeds has been officially opened.

The 2.5 mile-long section of segregated road for cyclists in Leeds city centre connects with existing sections of the 14-mile cycle superhighway.

It covers Wellington Street from the west and along Marsh Lane, York Street, Duke Street and Kirkgate from the east.

Developer City Connect said the £7.9m scheme makes it "safer, easier and quicker" to travel by bike in Leeds.

An estimated one million journeys have been made on the cycle superhighway since it opened in 2016, a spokesperson said.

In most cases a kerb is alongside the cycle track or the track is set higher than the road, allowing segregated travel from motorised traffic.

Councillor Peter Carlill, of Leeds City Council, said: "Drivers email me all the time about the amount of cars on the road, whether that's parking or being stuck in traffic.

"Every cyclist we get on this is a reduction in the number of cars in the area, so it benefits them too."

image caption The main stretches of the cycle superhighway were opened in 2016

Councillor Kim Groves, of West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: "These new sections of cycle superhighway provide an important missing link in Leeds's cycling network, making it safer, easier and quicker to travel by bike."

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