FIFTEEN parking tickets have been issued to vehicles parked illegally along a new cycle route since it opened three weeks ago.

The nine-mile CityConnect route between Bradford’s Broadway Shopping Centre and east Leeds – which cost £29 million – was officially opened on June 30 after 18 months of construction.

It was funded by the Department for Transport, Bradford and Leeds councils and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Since its launch, the two councils have regularly patrolled the route. Seven enforcement tickets with fines of £70 have been issued by Bradford Council and eight by Leeds City Council.

There have also been reports of broken glass on sections of the route, which is forcing cyclists into the road.

Liz Hills, a member of Otley Cycling Club, took photographs on July 6 and 8, the week after the cycleway opened, showing vehicles straddling the route.

She said they were on Bradford Road between Leeds Ring Road and Dick Lane.

She said: Having cycled the superhighway I am now a fan of it and while I think it’s not perfect I think it is the first step in the right direction to get people to replace their cars for short journeys.

“But it will also only work if it’s kept free of parked cars and obstructions. The worst area is Bradford Road between the Leeds ring road and Dick Lane. When cars are parked there you’re forced into the fast-flowing traffic. Having to join the carriageway there is really dangerous.

“Another key issue to address is sweeping. There was already a lot of glass in it when I went along it and bike tyres are more vulnerable to glass than car tyres, so it needs to be cleaned at least as regularly as the road.

“If it’s not swept, cyclists won’t use it, they’ll resort to using the road.”

Cyclist Stuart Elstub said he had seen four vans parked on the route at the top of the roundabout at the Leeds Old Road site on Friday, July 15. There have also been several negative comments made on Bradford Cycling Campaign’s Facebook site.

Ginny Leonard, of CityConnect, said: “We are aware that there are still some people parking on the lanes and it is frustrating. However, we are working on improving it even more. We have sent letters to residents and are doing what we can. A few weeks before the launch, drivers were given warnings that it was illegal to park on a cycleway.

“We have also had reports of broken glass and debris and have sent people out to clear it up. We want to let everyone know who uses the cycle route that it is on our radar and that a proper cleaning programme will be started. At the moment the maintenance is on an ad hoc basis. A dedicated maintenance service will be set up once the final section of the route between Leeds and Seacroft is completed in August.

“In the meantime, if anyone sees any problems anywhere they can email CityConnect or contact us via Twitter.”