TOO few people have been consulted on the Fenay Greenway, according to a member of Kirklees Council.
Mirfield Conservative councillor Martyn Bolt believes the public consultation process, which included distribution of more than 4,000 questionnaires, has focused heavily on people who live along the greenway route.
The track will run the length of the old Kirkheaton to Kirkburton railway branch line.
Five exhibitions were held around the greenway route, including one at Morrisons' supermarket in Waterloo.
The consultation process ended on October 31.
But Clr Bolt, a keen cyclist, is concerned that not enough potential users from other areas of Kirklees have been quizzed about the issue.
He believes the huge success of the Spen Valley Greenway, which will eventually link Bradford and Wakefield, proves people will travel to use off-road routes.
He said: "People put the kids' bikes in the back of the car and travel to ride on the greenway.
"It is ideal for families because the children can ride without having to worry about traffic.
"Asking people who live nearby is not fair because it will not just be them who will use it."
Clr Bolt also said the questionnaire - sent out to 1,300 homes and also available online - was impossible to answer unless you lived in Kirkheaton or nearby.
"Anybody who did go online from other areas to fill in the questionnaire would have been put off straight away because the opening questions related to very specific areas," he said.
A spokeswoman for Kirklees Council said the consultation process had been extensive.
"The council has involved a great many organisations and individuals in the consultation.
"This is in addition to very wide coverage in local newspapers and the council's website as well as local exhibitions and leaflets."
The spokeswoman also listed 23 interested groups including West Yorkshire Police, rambling and horse associations and five cycling organisations.
A final decision on the Fenay Greenway could be made by councillors as early as next month.
