PEOPLE wanting to get from A to B by bike now have a free new tool to help them avoid the traffic or beat the clock.

West Yorkshire travel website Metro has introduced a new journey planner which allows cyclists to find the best routes to take.

The new interactive map aims to make cycling an “everyday option for more and more people”, according to Ben Still, managing director of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which runs the site.

People can access the tool by visiting the existing journey planner at wymetro.com and clicking on the blue cycle tab above the map.

They can set their usual cycling speed to get an estimated journey time, and choose between the fastest route, the quietest route, or a route somewhere in between.

Mr Still, who this week pledged to cycle to work at least twice a week, said: “This new element of the Journey Planner is great news for cyclists.

“By providing the three journey options is ideal for both experienced cyclists and those who may have just rediscovered their bike during Bike Week and now want to venture a little further afield.

“By providing these kind of improvements plus developing some of the country’s best cycling and walking infrastructure, the Combined Authority is making active travel an everyday option for more and more people.”

James Craig, secretary of the Bradford Cycling Campaign, welcomed the new tool.

He said: “I personally don’t tend to use these technologies but I know people who do and I think anything that encourages people to cycle is a good thing.

“Anything that gets people out on their bikes is great, particularly people who are just thinking of cycling somewhere and are not quite sure which route to take.”

Mr Craig also recommended the Bradford District Cycle Map, available for free on Bradford Council’s website bradford.gov.uk, as another resource for people wanting to find good routes.

Less than 1 per cent of people currently commute to work by bike in the district, compared to 2.8 per cent nationally, according to the latest Census.

And the authorities are keen to encourage more people to cycle or walk instead of using cars for short journeys, in a bid to cut congestion and pollution levels.

Bradford was once dubbed the UK’s least bicycle-friendly city, but a host of events this year are putting cycling firmly in the spotlight across the district.

The city is this year’s poster child for everyday cycling after hosting a major national conference last month.

Cycle City Active City, billed as Europe’s largest conference and exhibition for cycling and active travel, pushes for Britain to become a Dutch-style cycling society.

The same month, female cyclists from across the country came to Bradford as the city hosted a separate annual conference dedicated to getting more women involved in cycling.

The Women and Cycling Conference, held in the Dubrovnik Hotel, was organised by Healthy Life Cycles, a Bradford-based charity.