Calderdale Council: This is what this much talked-about Halifax road marking means

The semi-circle with a bike inside has had people scratching their heads ever since it appeared in King Cross Road, in King Cross.

Now Calderdale Council has explained why it is there.

The council’s Assistant Director for Strategic Infrastructure, Adrian Gill, said new cycleway and footway improvements at King Cross aim to make it easier for people to walk and cycle in this traditionally car-dominated area.

The changes are part of the A58 Corridor Improvement Programme, funded through West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund.

“As part of the design, there is a dropped kerb that allows cyclists to safely leave the carriageway to access the shared area for pedestrians and cyclists,” he said.

“The design markings on the dropped kerb reflect the requirement for cyclists leaving the carriageway to give way to users of the shared space.

“It has been designed this way due to the limited space available and its effectiveness will be reviewed in the coming months.

“It then leads to a newly installed cycle crossing and a further stretch of cycleway at the bottom of Warley Road.”

He added the cycle lane provides a segregated link for cyclists from King Cross centre to new crossings across the A646 and A58, allowing cyclists to avoid the busy King Cross junction. The cycleway is bi-directional as marked and designed to national guidance.

Former councillor Andrew Tagg – a cyclist who uses routes through King Cross - called the markings “a ridiculous waste of taxpayers’ money” and said he felt they made the council “a laughing stock.”

Repairing potholes and other issues which deterred cyclists and improving existing cycling infrastructure would be more useful, he claimed.

The council also came under fire last year after a new cycle lane in Halifax – also in King Cross – was built with obstacles in the middle of it.

The short two lane cycle stretch opposite a parade of shops was met with shock and bewilderment – and appeared impossible to use – after it was created with a lamp-post and a pedestrian crossing column obstructing the bike lane in both directions.