AN UNFINISHED cycle path from Shipley to Bradford - branded "a standing joke" by some residents - is now set to be completed in the Spring, local councillors have confirmed.

Progress on the scheme was said to have stalled around eight or nine months ago, leaving cyclists and other users of the path facing an abrupt dead end when it reached a section close to Poplar Crescent in Shipley.

Residents said they had been kept in the dark as to why work had suddenly stopped on the path, but councillors have now said the delay was due to contaminated ground found in some old allotments that formed part of the proposed route.

Keen cyclist Rhys Stead, 40, who has lived on Poplar Crescent for the past ten years, said residents were consulted about the scheme around two years ago, with work starting a few months later.

"To begin with, people were in favour of the scheme, as taking cyclists away from the busy roads was seen as a good thing," he said.

"Once the project got underway, I was behind it wholeheartedly, but the unfinished section has been left dormant for months now."

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Mr Stead said the path should have bent to the right of some old football fields before threading through the old allotments, adjacent to Canal Road, in the direction of Gaisby Lane.

Instead, it just suddenly stopped, mystifying those who tried to make their way along the route.

"I have seen cyclists, people walking, children being pushed in prams, and they all look puzzled when the path just stops at a fence.

"They just stand there, have a look around, and then have to turn back as there is literally nowhere to go.

"You have to go back and use the roads, which defeats the object of the project in the first place.

"People are a bit disillusioned. I am still behind the project, but like many other cyclists and residents, I feel a little let down that this has become a standing joke."

Local ward councillor Alex Ross-Shaw (Lab, Windhill and Wrose) said the cycleway had run into delays on its intended route due to contamination found in the allotments.

He confirmed that new funding had been found to complete the scheme, with assurances from council officers that the project should be completed by next Spring.

"The greenway has been really enthusiastically received by the local community, and a wide range of people use it, including a new local cycling group," he said.

"It's frustrating work has stopped while the contamination issues are addressed, but everyone is looking forward to seeing it completed next year."

Fellow ward councillor Vanda Greenwood (Lab, Windhill and Wrose) said a sign had recently been put up alerting users of the path that work was incomplete.

"The work took longer than expected, and the initial funding for the project had to be spent within a certain time," she said.

"The path has to go through some old allotments, and clearing them has proved a massive job.

"It has just been a timing problem, but I know that a lot of residents already use the path, and it is excellent news that the work should be finished soon."

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