A SENIOR councillor and keen cyclist has criticised the state of the new Cycle Superhighway linking Leeds with Bradford and Shipley.

Kirklees councillor Martyn Bolt, who sits on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s (WYCA) transport committee, has become the latest person to raise concerns about aspects of the controversial £29m scheme.

The route includes an upgrade of a 13-mile stretch of canal towpath linking Leeds and Shipley, but Cllr Bolt (Con, Mirfield) said he encountered a catalogue of problems during a ride along the route this week.

He told a transport committee meeting today that he had read a WYCA report saying the section along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal was “complete and operational”, but said he begged to differ.

Speaking afterwards, Cllr Bolt said key signs were missing or unclear and once the route left Leeds, it deteriorated from tarmac to gravel to a very uneven rough stone surface, which would be entirely unsuitable for commuters.

He said at one point the route left a rough, unsurfaced towpath over a dirt mound onto an industrial road, adding that he was “certainly not anticipating going over dirt jumps or I would have ridden my mountain bike”.

He called for lessons to be learnt for the future, saying: “WYCA need to suspend work on new routes and come up with an agreed standard for our 21st-century cycle infrastructure.”

The committee’s chairman, Labour’s Cllr Keith Wakefield, said: “CityConnect has delivered a series of improvements, including resurfacing sections of the towpath between Kirkstall and Shipley, in partnership with Canal and River Trust.

“The use of the canal towpaths by walkers and cyclists is key part of the improvements and compliment the Cycle Superhighway between Leeds and Bradford.

“The aim is to provide a network of routes that can be used in all weathers. Figures show that since the improvements have been made, usage in the winter months has more than doubled.

“We recognise, that due to constraints, there are further improvements to be made to the Leeds-Liverpool canal towpath, as well as other towpaths across West Yorkshire, which will be part of the next phase of CityConnect projects.

“The CityConnect programme works closely with an independent advisory group, made up of representatives from cycling organisations both national and local, and there is an ongoing review process of routes that have been improved.

“As part of this process, we welcome constructive criticism such as this from Cllr Bolt and any of the other cyclists who make use of the quieter routes into Leeds and Bradford.”

Other users of the new Cycle Superhighway network had already raised concerns.

Within weeks of the main path between Leeds and Bradford opening, cyclists were complaining of parked cars blocking the path, as well as broken glass on its surface.

In November, cyclist Shams Hussain, of Bradford Moor, raised fears about a lack of maintenance, with decomposing leaves proving hazardous.

Others have said the design of the route has resulted in dangerous junctions and crossings.