The Trustees are proud to make the 2018 Award to David Hall, Yorkshire Regional Director of Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, from 1994 to 2014.
David was born in Leicester in 1949 and moved to Leeds in 1958, where he still lives. He qualified as a chartered surveyor in 1970 and became an estate agent. He cycled extensively in the UK and throughout Europe and he could see that society’s increasing reliance on car use was unsustainable.
After riding the then recently developed York – Selby cycle track David joined Sustrans as a supporter and attended their AGM in York, where he met founder and CEO John Grimshaw. Within two days he was invited to Sustran’s Bristol headquarters and accepted their lead role in Yorkshire.
In developing the National Cycle Network throughout Yorkshire David has negotiated with landowners to secure disused railway lines, bridges and corridors of land. By appealing to their common sense in recognising the necessity to reduce car reliance he was able to develop many projects throughout the county. He was equally at home talking persuasively to local authorities, government officials and elected representatives to secure their support.
Cycle paths which David has delivered include Spen Valley Greenway, Nidderdale Greenway, Wetherby – Newton Kyme, Great Northern Rail Trail and many others throughout Yorkshire. These routes have incorporated many reopened viaducts, including Chain Bar at Cleckheaton which carries the Greenway over 14 lanes of the M62. Many miles of safe routes have been created and all have been embraced by local communities and are used widely by those from further afield, especially cyclists. He has also worked with partner agencies on longer distance routes, notably the Trans Pennine Trail, the Way of the Roses and other projects throughout the county.
David’s passion for this work has left Yorkshire with an outstanding network, encouraging behavioural change in favour of cycling. In doing so he has rendered service to the furtherance of cycling in Yorkshire and is justly worthy of this Award.