West Yorkshire should copy France to build mass transit network, report finds
Mayor Tracy Brabin has staked her reputation on bringing trams back to the streets of Leeds and Bradford as part of a £2.5bn project.
British cities are lagging way behind their European counterparts when it comes to delivering mass transit projects due to red tape and planning bottlenecks, a new report has found.
Research by the Centre for Cities has revealed that France has added more tram tracks since 2010, than the entire length of all of Britain’s light rail network.
Over that same period Leeds had two applications for mass transit rejected, which brought the total to 11 separate bids over a 40 year period for improved transport infrastructure in the city.
Centre for Cities says the key to the current West Yorkshire mass transit project progressing is handing down more powers to mayor Tracy Brabin.
Ms Brabin has staked her reputation on bringing trams back to the streets of Leeds and Bradford as part of a £2.5bn project.
However, the mayor has already encountered several bureaucratic hurdles which have led to the completion date being pushed back to the late 2030s.
The Yorkshire Post previously reported how Andy Burnham is considering handing mayors powers over approval processes, such as Transport and Works Act Orders (TWAO) and Development Consent Orders (DCOs) to speed up the delivery.
The Centre for Cities report backs this and says that combined authorities should be allowed to borrow against the tax revenues they are set to receive in the coming years.
Andrew Carter, chief executive of the think tank, said: “Faster and cheaper delivery of mass transit infrastructure should be a key test of Government’s devolution plans.
“In more devolved nations like France, local government has greater fiscal autonomy, a streamlined planning process, stronger balance sheets and more capacity to manage big projects.
“That lets them deliver urban infrastructure at a much faster pace and with better cost control.
“Mayors are best at spotting what infrastructure improvements their areas need. What they lack is the right powers and planning tools to deliver big strategic infrastructure.
“Fiscal devolution will give mayors more means to finance viable projects. Devolution of TWAOs is a key step.
“But low capacity and a planning system that’s too slow to respond to strategic need will hold places back without further Government action.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told The Yorkshire Post that she hoped that the expertise in the region around the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) will ensure that future infrastructure projects are delivered on time and on budget.
The £11bn project is the second biggest piece of infrastructure work in the UK, that will eventually cut journey times between York and Leeds by 10 minutes, and Manchester and Leeds down to 42 minutes.
It is set to be completed in the early 2030s, and is currently on time and on budget.
Ms Alexander said: “I've met some of the brilliant apprentices that have gained experience and skills through that programme.
“Part of the beauty of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project is that this actually enables some of those apprentices to go on to the next stage of their career, and they'll have learnt the right lessons from delivering the upgrade."