Leeds doesn’t need another grand transport plan - it just needs one that actually works
Leeds is finding itself in the spotlight with a focus of billion pound plans to upgrade and electrify railway lines and improve the station.
Northern Powerhouse Rail has announced plans to improve how people travel to and from our city.
The first phase will prioritise upgrades and electrification between Leeds-Sheffield, Leeds-York and Leeds-Bradford to transform commutes, set to be delivered in the 2030s.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: “For too long, the North has been held back by underinvestment and years of dither and delay – but that ends now.
“This new era of investment will not just speed up journeys, it will mean new jobs and homes for people, making a real difference to millions of lives.”
But is anyone else getting a sense of deja-vu right now when it comes to big shiny transport schemes for Leeds?
Anyone remember the ghost of super trams past and present?
While it is brilliant news to welcome more people into Leeds and boost inter-city connectivity there is still a glaring elephant in the room.
How do people travel around our brilliant city once they get here?
We’re stuck with a half built train station at the White Rose Centre and the brakes have been put on the tram which still means Leeds is the largest Western European city without a mass transit scheme.
Week in week out, we’re hearing from readers about the challenges they have navigating their way through the city centre with different road works with some branding it ‘undriveable’.
And on top of that we hear of problems with our trains and buses actually arriving on time - or at all in some cases.
Leeds doesn’t need another grand promise arriving from somewhere else.
Before we pour time, money and political attention into headline-grabbing schemes designed to funnel more people in we need to ask a much simpler and honest question.
How well does Leeds actually move the people around who already live here?
If the city wants to grow and attract investment it really does need to get its own house in order.
It’s not small, narrow-minded thinking but actually building a foundation of a city that works.
Big shiny transport schemes may look very impressive on the map, it’s still papering over the cracks of the real issues.
Perhaps those politicians in Whitehall, who are eager to grab the big headlines, might want to spend some time at Leeds City Station and outside the Bus Station on a busy, cold Wednesday morning and ask commuters what they really think about travelling around Leeds.
They’ll find a transport system that’s creaking and letting our city’s ambitions down.
Leeds needs to get itself moving first.