Leeds City Council is set to launch the latest stage of the Wetherby to Thorp Arch cycle path.

The £400,000 new route – which will form part of the National Cycle Network Route 66 – will link Walton Road near Wetherby to the Thorp Arch Trading Estate and will extend the recently installed path between Freemans Way in the town centre and Walton Road.

The all-weather surface will be suitable for cyclists, walkers, horse riders and wheelchair users and will provide a safe, traffic free, environmentally friendly route, which may be extended as far as Harrogate and, in the opposite direction, Tadcaster.

Cllr Andrew Carter, executive board member for development, said: “The extension of this route is excellent news, not only to the people of Wetherby but to anyone wanting to take part in outdoor leisure activities. It will provide a direct, safe link for people to walk or cycle between Wetherby and the Thorp Arch Trading Estate, so that people will have the choice of commuting and travelling in more environmentally-friendly ways. It will also help to improve the health of everyone who uses it.”

The project has been funded by the Local Transport Plan, and sustainable transport charity Sustrans Work expects to complete the cycle path by spring 2007. Details: www.leeds.gov.uk