Metro has ambitious plans for the future of transport which extend beyond West Yorkshire and into the Leeds City Region, encompassing Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield and York. The Leeds City Region Transport Vision is for the city region to function as a single economic space where core centres are well connected with one another, with other city regions and with airports and ports whilst minimising growth in car use. The vision spans 25 years and would cost some £4.5 billion, a figure anticipated to be far outweighed by the economic, social and environmental benefits of the proposals.
The proposals contained in the vision include a network of tram-trains which could run on existing rail lines as well as on streets, a new generation of rapid transit, further electrification of local rail routes, high quality bus links, new and upgraded road links, more park and ride facilities and transport interchanges as well as smartcard ticketing.
Metro is currently consulting on plans for New Generation Transport (NGT) for Leeds. If funded the scheme would see modern, comfortable, accessible, more environmentally friendly vehicles providing reliable and frequent journeys into the city centre from park and ride sites on the outskirts. Efforts would be focused on routes where congestion would otherwise cause problems too great for regular buses to solve, where suitable rail alternatives are not easily accessible and where NGT would improve links to important facilities. Vehicles, which may take the form of electric powered trolley buses, diesel-electric buses or diesel buses (with the latest environmentally-friendly technology), would be able to transport high volumes of passengers and might benefit from exclusive lanes and roads, priority at traffic lights and junctions and high quality bus stops and shelters equipped with real time information systems. If funding is agreed, construction could begin in 2012.
Metro and Leeds City Council are also undertaking the two-year, £4.6m Transport for Leeds study looking at how congestion in Leeds can be tackled through investment in better transport systems. Transport for Leeds could result in a major bid to the Department for Transport’s Transport Innovation Fund (TIF).
Metro already has much to be proud of. Recent achievements include:
- Roll-out of yournextbus real-time information system (also operating in South Yorkshire) which uses GPS to track bus location allowing passengers to find out scheduled or actual times of any bus at any stop via text message, the internet or, at an increasing number of key bus stops, electronic displays.
- Free Town and City buses in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and, most recently Bradford, designed to connect bus and rail stations with shops, hospitals, colleges, universities, leisure and business locations, encouraging people to leave their cars at home.
- A 150-strong My busyellow school bus fleet transporting around 10,000 pupils every day on purpose-built, accessible vehicles fitted with seatbelts, radio/CD player and CCTV where pupils are guaranteed a seat and are greeted by the same driver everyday. This is complemented by Junior SAFEMark training for 8,000 (and counting) pupils about to make the transition to secondary school. The training builds their confidence to use public transport independently through an on-bus lesson in safe travel and sessions on journey planning and the environmental impacts of transport choices.
Updated December 2008.
