Getting cars off Leeds roads in favour of bikes is pie in the sky: Yorkshire Post Letters

ONCE again Leeds City Council and others have put on their rose-tinted glasses and their head in the clouds with statements such as “our goal is to make Leeds a city where you don’t need to use a car”.

The ambition was amplified with suggestions people can get about by wheeling, walking, running, scooting, even pushing a buggy.

Needless to say, aspirations to reduce our dependence on the motor vehicle are admirable, but as Leeds City Council said many years ago when proposals to develop road pricing were mooted, getting cars off the road is pie in the sky until a viable public transport system is available.

The above listed means of transport without a combustion or electric engine are totally impractical when you need to get six bags of shopping from the supermarket, carry a bag of tools and a radiator or need to use the motorway or Inner Ring Road.

In defence, the council will point to the eye-watering amounts spent on cycle lanes. But look at their usage, they are white elephants.

As for a bus system, the West Yorkshire Mayor has a policy to spend millions taking it back under public control because everyone recognises that currently in private hands buses operate based on best profit return before best service availability.

So until the council and others concentrate full commitment on a viable, affordable public transport system and electric vehicle charging hubs, the car, van or truck and its combustion engine with the associated traffic jams are here to stay.

From: Steve Wilson, Lenton Villas, Bradford.

IT was interesting to read of Bradford-born Sir David Wootton (The Yorkshire Post, June 12) and a stellar career in the city.

Now it seems he is trying to help his place of birth – great – but how sad that he has been sucked in by the wasteful City of Culture bid. If he has spare energy might I suggest he offers this in a business advisory capacity to our hopeless council leader and attempt to grapple with the real issues Bradford contends with.

He mentions “a strong suite of cultural venues within walking distance of each other” but, save for Bradford Live, these are in place already. So a pointless gong is irrelevant.

In another article, David Behrens makes the point about how little we can trust statistics thrown up to often justify a splurge of public money, this time with Tour de Yorkshire. In Bradford, almost £30m was spent on the pond outside City Hall with wild claims as to the economic impact it would make....when it actually works!

Might I suggest Sir David takes one of the many empty “apartments” available in the city centre – he could probably buy one for a weeks wages – and try living in the city to see the real issues? Simply popping up from London every now and then will not help him understand a place he left decades ago. Nor will a silly gong help us.

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