Mayor welcomes Spen Valley Greenway improvements as she highlights need to make walking and cycling routes safer for women and girls

The mayor’s visit marked new lights being switched on along the traffic-free path, in time for the darker evenings. She also welcomed access improvements and pledged her support for the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust’s work to make routes safer for women and girls to walk, wheel or cycle.

Mayor Brabin said: “Women and girls shouldn't have to change their behaviour in order to feel safe.

“We are investing in well-lit paths and accessible routes for all to enjoy, and it was wonderful to get on the bike and experience it first-hand.

“Together with our partners, we’re delivering a better-connected, greener and safer West Yorkshire.”

The Spen Valley Greenway is a 12km route between Dewsbury and Bradford, which is part of the National Cycle Network.

The route is often used by people commuting to a station, work or school, but numbers drop off when the evenings get darker.

A trust survey on the Greenway in 2024 found that only 10 per cent of women felt safe using the route after dark, and 19 per cent of men.

To help tackle this problem, the trust worked with Kirklees Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority to install LED lighting between Cleckheaton and Liversedge earlier this year, as well as other improvements which make the route safer and more accessible.

The path is now lit every evening, and the trust aims to light the whole greenway.

Selina Gregoire, who walks on the path regularly, says the lights will make a big difference.

“I like to walk in the evening and I’ll happily do it in winter now the path is lit up and feels safer,” she said.

“I know a lot of people have been waiting for the lights to go on, particularly the older generation, and dog walkers who want to do evening walks.”

Fozia Naseem, who leads an inclusive cycling group for women on the Greenway, says lighting helps extend the times women can be active on the path.

“For people who are newish to cycling, things can come out of the blue on an unlit path, so it’s too much to take on,” Fozia said.

“This will open up more opportunities to cycle at different times of the day.”

Carole Patrick, National Cycle Network director at Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, said: “We’re delighted to switch on the lights on this section of the Spen Valley Greenway, and we hope that with more funding we will be able to extend lighting to other areas too.

“We are working with communities across the country to find out what barriers women face when travelling actively, and how we can help to remove them. This could include installing lights, changing the design of paths, opening up sightlines on routes, or re-routing them to busier areas.

“The important thing is to engage locally with women and girls to identify the factors that make a difference.

“We want to see a world where every woman and every girl can travel without worry, wherever they want, however they want, anytime of day.

“Because when we create safe journeys for women and girls, we make it safer for everyone.”