An overly city-centered West Yorkshire mass transit network would show that devolution hasn’t gone far enough
A reliable public transport network is not just about moving large masses of people around the region. The benefits of connecting people are social and economic. Benefits that Yorkshire has been long deprived of as a result of decision making by Whitehall mandarins. Civil servants who don’t understand the needs of the region have for far too long held it back.
That is why today Leeds is the largest city in Western Europe without a mass transit or tram system, despite repeated attempts over the years to remedy this.
Recent plans to build a new mass transit system across West Yorkshire have been welcomed with cautious optimism, in part because there have been so many false dawns. However, West Yorkshire mass transit must do more than bring trams to Leeds.
A consultation on the proposals found that respondents from major stakeholders believe current proposals “are overly city-centred, insufficiently specific, and risk reinforcing inequalities across West Yorkshire”.
One of the key arguments for West Yorkshire mass transit is that it would help tackle regional inequalities, making opportunities more accessible for those living in left behind communities.
To an extent it is understandable that the proposals would be city-centered. Local leaders need to dance to the tune of the Treasury and show that proposals would serve as many people as possible. But this only serves to show that devolution has not gone far enough. Plans for West Yorkshire mass transit have already been afflicted by bureaucracy and the completion date pushed back after a critical review by a Treasury body.