New images reveal plans for £4million Heckmondwike Bus Hub

New images have been released of what Heckmondwike’s proposed £4million bus station could look like.
An artist's impression of Heckmondwike’s proposed new £4million bus stationAn artist's impression of Heckmondwike’s proposed new £4million bus station
An artist's impression of Heckmondwike’s proposed new £4million bus station

The current Heckmondwike Bus Hub has just four stands and Kirklees Council has launched public consultation over plans for a modern bus station.

The consultation is part of wider proposals to improve transport on a six-mile stretch of the A638 from Dewsbury to Cleckheaton.

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West Yorkshire Combined Authority has £16million available in total for the so-called A638 Dewsbury-Cleckheaton Sustainable Travel Corridor. It’s all about making the route – which includes the Spen Valley Greenway and the Spen Ringway – greener, cleaner and safer.

An artist's impression of Heckmondwike’s proposed new £4million bus stationAn artist's impression of Heckmondwike’s proposed new £4million bus station
An artist's impression of Heckmondwike’s proposed new £4million bus station

Upgrading Heckmondwike Bus Hub is seen as a way to reduce emissions and air pollution by making public transport more attractive to drivers, encouraging them to leave the car at home.

The proposals include building a new bus station with a sheltered outdoor waiting area and improved landscaping.

The scheme would include creating two extra bus stands, an extra bay and also improving sheltered cycle parking.

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The consultation document says: “The scheme aims to make catching the bus a realistic option.”

An artist's impression of Heckmondwike’s proposed new £4million bus stationAn artist's impression of Heckmondwike’s proposed new £4million bus station
An artist's impression of Heckmondwike’s proposed new £4million bus station

The benefits of a bus station over a bus hub are: the potential to increase the number of bus services per hour; better connections from Heckmondwike; more comfortable and "weatherproof" waiting facilities; and real-time information on travel.

Any new bus station would need planning permission and the images produced so far are only an “aspirational concept design” of what the bus station could look like, subject to feedback from the public.

The consultation says there is scope for more bus lanes along the six-mile stretch – including at Chain Bar Roundabout - and adds: “The scheme aims to achieve better reliability for buses along the A638 through providing bus lanes in some areas, and bus priority at key junctions through new technology on the approach and at the traffic lights.

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“The proposed bus lanes on either side of the Chain Bar Roundabout will further improve bus journey times and reliability. No impact on car journey times is expected.

An artist's impression of Heckmondwike’s proposed new £4million bus stationAn artist's impression of Heckmondwike’s proposed new £4million bus station
An artist's impression of Heckmondwike’s proposed new £4million bus station

“Providing a new bus station at Heckmondwike will increase the capacity of the hub from four stands to six, creating less congestion at the interchange and more opportunity for services to stop here.”

The wider scheme also looks at more cycle lanes which would be achieved by widening into the central reservation in places, narrowing traffic lanes and, in some cases, removing on-street parking.

There would be changes to the A638 through Cleckheaton with Wesley Street made a one-way out only at the junction with Bradford Road; a parking layby removed between John William Street and Balme Road; a narrowing of the road at the crossing between Balme Road and Brooklyn Court; and footpath widening out towards the Aakash restaurant.

To take part in the consultation, go to www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/a638travel. The closing date is August 17.