Olympian’s praise for bid to promote cycling route

OLYMPIC CHAMPION Alistair Brownlee has praised Leeds City Council’s new pilot scheme to enhance cycling safety on one of its busiest roads with wider pavements and cycle lanes.

A section of the cycle lane on the A65 Kirkstall Road, a major commuter route in the city, is to be widened with the use of posts to give cyclists protection from traffic. The reflective posts, also known as ‘Orca Wands’, are 1m high and strong enough to rebound from an impact with vehicles, the city council said.

In response the Leeds-based triathlete said on Twitter: “This is great. There is potential for big structural positive change to come out of the current situation. The continuation of the increase in active travel is one of them. Fantastic to see Leeds City Council working so quickly to make change happen.”

He said the changes would lead to long-term health benefits.

The council said the wands would be initially be installed temporarily as they can be deployed much more quickly in the current circumstances than any more permanent changes to the highway. It is hoped by making the road option safer more cyclists will choose to use it to allow capacity to flow freely.

Council officials said they were acting to “help the public stay safe when walking of cycling”. Depending on how successful the posts are deemed to be they can either be kept in place for a longer period of time or removed and replaced with permanent protective measures along that road.