West Yorkshire mass transit network will supercharge regeneration schemes in Leeds and Bradford - Susan Hinchcliffe & James Lewis
As leaders of our local authorities – we have never made any apologies for talking up our great cities to the rest of the country. Bradford and Leeds have proud histories and great futures.
From Leeds introducing Britain's first overhead-powered electric trams in 1891, and Bradford being the first to introduce the trolleybus system in the UK, back in 1911, they are cities of character and substance.
Both have a strong pipeline of regeneration projects and young populations who are hungry to make their mark in the world. If you look at the two cities together as an economic area of 1.3 million people then you have the biggest regional economy outside London.
But this potential and economic might is not realised because of our transport connectivity. We have to be honest about this – West Yorkshire has issues when it comes to public transport.
According to a report from Centre for Cities, less than two fifths of people living in Leeds can reach the city centre in 30 minutes by public transport, what’s more, transport contributes to more than 40 per cent of carbon emissions in the city.
Anyone who uses our region’s roads will know that more can be done to ensure people can get around more easily without a car, as Leeds remains the largest city in Western Europe without an integrated mass transit network.
It’s therefore no surprise that cars are the most widely-used mode of transport in our region. Of the 45,000 people who commute between Bradford and Leeds each day – the largest flow between any two cities in the UK – almost three quarters of these currently travel by car.
A congested transport network is not just about having to sit in traffic for a few more minutes each day – it has real, knock-on effects on the economy and job opportunities in the region.
We must aim for better than this, which is why we have been vocal about West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s plans for a region-wide mass transit network.
The initial routes in phase one will include lines linking the centre of Leeds with the south of the city, and a second tram line linking Leeds and Bradford, with scope to link up Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees in future phases.
This means the plans not only have the backing of Bradford and Leeds Councils, but also of our other three districts, while being spearheaded by Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire. This gives West Yorkshire Mass Transit the kind of political clout that could only have been dreamt of for previous schemes.
This is also just part of the wider transport offer that West Yorkshire wants to create, with better buses through the Mayor’s decision earlier this year to switch to a franchised network in the coming years, as well as better links for active travel, such as cycling, walking and wheeling.
Better connectivity between our communities and our town and city centres increases the potential pool of workers that can travel there, which leads to businesses investing in better jobs for people in West Yorkshire.
Mass Transit will enable economic growth, and help supercharge regeneration schemes in both cities.
Susan Hinchcliffe is the leader of Bradford Council and James Lewis is the leader of Leeds City Council.