Back to the future over Leeds tram plans – Yorkshire Post Letters

From: ME Wright, Harrogate.
Should trams return to the streets of West Yorkshire?Should trams return to the streets of West Yorkshire?
Should trams return to the streets of West Yorkshire?

THE Leeds/Bradford/Wakefield conurbations have “outgrown our transport systems” (The Yorkshire Post, February 1). No; the transport systems have failed miserably to keep pace.

Years of over-reliance on buses regressed even further when the supposed miracle of deregulation resulted in greatly reduced services and greatly increased fares. Small wonder that car-induced chaos followed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Alongside all the historic “mights” and “maybes”, the phrase “long-term strategy” speaks for itself. In August 2019 Boris Johnson declared the absence of a Metro in Leeds to be “madness”. In December on the same topic, he declared “we shall remedy the scandal”.

An artist's impression of the Leeds Supertram that was never built.An artist's impression of the Leeds Supertram that was never built.
An artist's impression of the Leeds Supertram that was never built.

Unless sinister forces have ordered their destruction, somewhere in the Leeds archives, there is a 30-year-old set of plans for sending clean, quiet trams, gliding out to Lawnswood, via Headingley; Swarcliffe, via Seacroft and Tingley, via Belle Isle/Middleton.

To avoid cynical suggestions of yet another talking shop, would it not make logistical and political sense to get these completed and move on from there?

From: Mike Lacey, Elloughton.

IN these difficult times many of us are going through all the stuff we have accumulated over the years. I was looking through a book of Giles Cartoons published in 1963/64.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Lo and behold there was a cartoon of November 22, 1963, about ‘Mr ailsham ogg’s plan to boost prosperity in the north’. ‘Mr ailsham ogg’ was of course Quintin Hogg MP, or Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, former contender for the leadership of the Conservative Party and one-time Lord Chancellor.

What became of the plan to bring prosperity to the North between 1963 and David Cameron’s Northern Powerhouse of the 2010-2015 government?

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.