Local backlash sees plans to swap car parking for cycle lane scrapped, but council insists "longstanding concerns about road safety and congestion" will still be addressed

A council has officially scrapped its plans to swap car parking spaces at the side of a busy A-road for new walking and cycling infrastructure, the local authority saying it had "listened to local people" and that the decision balances "the need for parking in the town" with "longstanding concerns about road safety and congestion".

Calderdale Council has outlined its transport plans for the West Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge, which it claims will "help make it safer and healthier for people to get to the town, and support local businesses", and confirmed new cycling infrastructure was being dropped from the proposals and car parking kept on the A646 outside the town.

The £5 million A646 Corridor Improvement Programme (CIP) is being delivered in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, with the stated aim to "improve road safety, journey times, air quality, opportunities to walk, wheel and cycle, and access to jobs and homes on the busy A646 / A6033 route from Todmorden to Skircoat Moor in Halifax".

"The programme also aims to address the concerns that residents and businesses have raised about road safety and traffic congestion in Hebden Bridge, whilst also taking into account that those who need to use a car need to be able to find a place to park," Calderdale Council suggests.

However, in October the council but a proposal on hold that would have seen parking on the route scrapped between Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd, a widened eastbound shared-use path created, and a westbound cycle lane also installed on the the road.

Now, those plans have been officially dropped, the council opting instead to introduce double yellow lines at a narrower section and opposite westbound bus stops. Parking elsewhere will be "formalised", meaning charges will be introduced.

[Current car parking on the A646 outside Hebden Bridge, Google Maps]

"This will help control parking in the area, improve safety because bays will be created to give drivers more room to get in and out of spaces, and encourage long-stay parking, relieving pressure on the town centre to support short-stay parking," the council added.

A formal consultation is to follow but the council says the decision has been made as a result of the local authority having "listened to local people". The initial plans to ditch parking for active travel infrastructure "sparked outcry", according to the Halifax Courier, a petition signed by more than 1,000 people expressing concerns about the impact on local businesses.

Cllr Sarah Courtney, Calderdale Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, said: "Our priority for thriving towns means we're committed to creating places where people want to live, work, do business and visit. We know how much Hebden Bridge is valued as a visitor destination, and we’re doing all we can to make it safe, easy, healthy and sustainable for people to get there and support the great local businesses.

"We have listened to what people have told us about the Corridor Improvement Programme proposals in Hebden Bridge, the need for parking in the town, and longstanding concerns about road safety, congestion and reliability of public transport.

"Our way forward for Fallingroyd, alongside the other improvements, will help address these issues and support people to travel to Hebden Bridge in the way they want, with the option of leaving the car at home and travelling actively if they choose."

In the autumn, just before Calderdale Council put the cycling infrastructure plans on hold, the BBC heard from local traders concerned at the impact of losing parking.

Scott Borrows, who runs the Totally Screwed hardware shop on Market Street, said: "Businesses are concerned. There are a fair amount of shopkeepers worried that they may go under. They are planning making it so people can walk, which is great – but people still need to get there.

"If you're buying a piece of art or furniture, you're not going to cart it home on a train or a bike."

At the time Cllr Courtney said the geography of the area (namely the "narrowness of the valley" where Hebden Bridge is located) made it a "complex task" to balance the "different factors".

Five miles to the east, in Todmorden, we have also heard complaints about proposed active travel schemes, notably in September when residents "outraged by having to walk an extra few yards from their car" were accused of "trying to stoke fear and opposition" against a major cycle lane project.