Changes to travel in and around Hebden Bridge
Tuesday 11 February 2025
Plans are moving forward to transform travel in and around Hebden Bridge, to help make it safer and healthier for people to get to the town, and to support local businesses.
Following the pause to the Fallingroyd part of the £5 million A646 Corridor Improvement Programme, Calderdale Council has now agreed a way forward.
The Corridor Improvement Programme is being delivered in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority 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.
The Corridor Improvement Programme included a proposal to widen the pavement at Fallingroyd to create a shared eastbound pedestrian / cycling facility, and to introduce a westbound cycle lane on the road.
In October 2024, the Council put this proposal on hold, to continue to look into options to improve the plans based on feedback, and to consider the interim findings of the Parking Area Plan for Hebden Bridge.
The Council has taken all of this into account and listened to local people, and has updated the plans for Fallingroyd after considering a number of options.
To improve road safety, the proposed option will now see a short section of double yellow lines introduced between Mayroyd and Hebden Bridge, as the road is narrower there and on a slight bend, which increases issues for buses and HGVs passing each other. The Council will also look to put double yellow lines opposite the westbound bus stops.
Parking charges at Fallingroyd
Parking will then be formalised along the remaining sections of the road, meaning charges will be introduced. 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.
These measures will be subject to formal consultation in due course, and will then be reviewed on a regular basis, and in particular once the planned car park on the site of the former adult learning centre at Stubbing Holme Road is delivered following the Environment Agency works.
Improvements that have already been delivered in Hebden Bridge as part of the A646 Corridor Improvement Programme include better pedestrian facilities outside the Fox and Goose pub on Heptonstall Road, and the removal of limited waiting bays on Market Street to improve traffic flow.
Speed limit reduction
In the near future, the pedestrian crossing on Station Road will also be improved and the speed limit between Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge will be reduced from 40mph to 30mph.
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."