Why Leeds needs public transport revolution to get city moving again – Yorkshire Post Letters

I LIVE in Harehills and predominantly use buses to get into Leeds city centre, though rely on my partner to drop me off at the university as part of his commute on poor weather days or when I have early morning commitments.

A new railway station for Leeds and six priority bus routes are on West Yorkshire transport bosses’ half-a-billion-pound wishlist to Grant Shapps

It takes as long to walk the full distance to the university as to catch two buses in and out of town, but as a young female I feel scared to walk some of my usual journey in the dark – particularly in winter.

Not dualling the A64 would be a “catastrophically bad decision”, Yorkshire MP Kevin Hollinrake warns Ministers ahead of crunch funding decision

It is imperative that legislation allows for a radical overhaul of the public transport system to make it cheap, reliable, carbon neutral, and importantly, a desirable service to use.

This would surely involve it being brought back into public ownership.

Infrastructure surrounding the city centre must also start to change from being car-centric to more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.

I find it quite astonishing how difficult and unsafe it feels to walk from the city centre to my home only two miles away.

I have previously lived in Derby and Manchester and not had the same issues in either 
city.

I imagine a difficult transition period when measures must be implemented to dissuade cars from entering the city centre to encourage more public transport usage in the first instance.

Ultimately, other means of visiting the city centre must become more attractive than car usage, otherwise the problem will only escalate.

From: Mark E Johnson, Leeds.

IN response to calls for ideas to improve Leeds public transport, here is what I’d like to see:

More and better cycle routes.

A greater range of start times for people working in the city centre, as this would reduce pressure on services at peak times.

A city centre congestion charge combined with a dramatic increase in bus services around peak times.

The city centre is already a nightmare to drive around and it’s punishingly expensive to park, so providing there is an improvement in bus services, drivers might as well be further discouraged from driving in.

Our buses need to be transitioning to electric – our city has declared a climate emergency and we need to start acting like it.

From: CV Barton, Burley in Wharfedale, Ilkley.

TRAMS and trains can only go where the rails take them. This is surely an excellent feature as it means they complete the route.

Trams do not often break down. I was a frequent user of Leeds trams before closure in 1959. I remember going up and down Beeston Hill on a tram in the snow with no problem. Trams were replaced by buses because politicians thought they were obsolete and out of date. European politicians were more enlightened. They did not scrap trams, they modernised. Unfortunately bus replacement reduced public transport usage here as the level of service was not compatible.

The only solution in Leeds is an enhanced railway and city tramway – we need to reduce our carbon consumption and provide clean air for our citizens.

From: Keith Holmes, Sherburn Court, Leeds.

ASKING Leeds City Council to improve the city’s transport would be like asking a bull to improve the decor in a china shop. They have made a right pig’s ear of it so far.