COUNCIL bosses could build a demonstration section of a new trail to see if walkers and cyclists like it.
The move is being considered after objections to bike riders using the Huddersfield Narrow Canal's towpath.
An eight-mile Colne Valley Greenway is planned as a traffic-free link between Huddersfield and Marsden.
Plans are for the route to pass through Paddock, Milnsbridge, Linthwaite and Slaithwaite.
But public consultation has revealed a clear split over whether the towpath should be used as one section.
Groups opposed include Huddersfield Canal Society and Huddersfield Ramblers.
Objectors say safety of walkers and anglers could be in danger if cyclists use the towpath.
A Kirklees Council spokesman said: "Due to the concerns, we are suggesting that a demonstration project of just over three miles be developed. We would monitor this over 12 months to see if the concerns about the footpath actually arise in practice."
Part of the £140,000 trial route would follow the canal from Titanic Mill, Linthwaite, to Shaw Lane, Milnsbridge.
Work on it could begin next May.
The council spokesman said: "If shared use is considered unmanageable then the towpath sections would revert to their current use."
Three greenways are already operating in Kirklees and work has begun on a fourth, from Huddersfield to Dewsbury.
But plans for another - the Fenay Greenway from Kirkheaton to Kirkburton - are bogged down in controversy, with opposition from many people living along the route.
Estimates are that the full length of the Colne Valley Greenway will cost £250,000 to develop.
The council spokesman warned: "If a decision is taken to develop a greenway route completely separate from the towpath it would be disjointed, hilly and have more sections on road."
