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Case Study 1: Background to Transport Policy in Leeds
Steve Kidd TRAN1010 15/10/00
Issues & questions
The words 'major city' may mean different things to different people, and is only relative to its contemporaries. Leeds became famous for woollens in the 14th Century, but the dissolution of the monasteries triggered a spectacular growth in settlement and expansion after 1539, as merchants took advantage of land availability, tradition, the river and eventually (in 1626) the charter of incorporation.
It's Position on the river Aire meant Leeds was at the vanguard of the Industrial revolution, and by the beginning of the last century was the densely populated city we basically see today.
Before motor transport the only way to move bulk goods economically was by water. After engineering, the Leeds Liverpool system was the conduit for a great deal of trade, putting Leeds at the 'hub of things'. On the border between agricultural East Yorkshire and industrial West Yorkshire, Leeds was a natural site for market and industry, and developed appropriately.
The surrounding settlements have provided have to a degree relieved pressure on the centre, by providing alternative retail and business sites, and forming the dormitories for the conurbation. Because of their unplanned nature many perceive that they have hindered transport system development (Narrow roads, poor junctions, indirect routes)
The most significant boundary is, of course the river, which formed the natural southern Boundary to Leeds Parish. Most development has consequently focused on the north of it, and the main administrative, retail, ecclesiastical, education and established businesses are all on this side. This has served to give the centre of any radial pattern exhibited by Leeds to North of the river.
Leeds, like most of Merry England was largely forest, but with the arrival of the wool industry trees gave way to grazing. Major urbanisation through the 17th and 18th centuries, followed quickly by suburban residential development gave us the modern pattern.
The current transport system has been largely superimposed on a city and system that had grown organically. The unplanned nature of the road, rail and canal system has lead to a degree of apparent haphazard layout, and inefficiencies.
The perceived benefits of the major motorways are the enabling of motorists to transfer themselves and their services from remoter locations to centres of trade and Industry.
The disbenefits include:
Ikea ran an advert that urged customers to 'Chuck out the Chintz'. Like chintz I am not sure if throwing things away is a good idea. From a cycling perspective taking up tracks may have made things better for the two wheeled commuter, but it's definitely a struggle to think of any benefits from totally scrapping an electric tram system, given that we do have urbanisation.
The benefits, in addition to those outlined in answer (i) are the diversion of through traffic from populated areas.
The disbenefits are, on a local scale, apparently few. It is only by building roads that we induce motor use. Putting a ring road, bypass in place is like giving somebody painkiller for a kick in the nuts. Better to not get kicked in the nuts. As part of the big picture road-building sucks, and a trip round Leeds Outer Ring road starting at 8:30 a.m. will illustrate this.
The advantages of privatising and deregulating services include the opening up of lucrative routes to competition, therefore reduction in prices and greater frequency of service. By the same token the less desirable rotes, from the geographical, safety and temporal view may be neglected. There is a case for saying safety and quality may be compromised by deregulation.
Although others exist, transport use in Leeds can be divided into
Public transport is largely inconvenient, awkward inefficiently managed and generally unpleasant at the times when it is most needed. It performs favourably against car use only because of the inherent flaws in trying to cram too many cars into a small area mean that it may be comparable in time, but cheaper. (Typically a train fare from Pontefract to Leeds is £3.10, the petrol for the car will cost about the same, without accounting for overheads). Public transport has environmental benefits, so it is obviously safer and cleaner to have two hundred people on one train then in 150 cars.
The Leeds Transport system caters well in terms of price for low income and elderly, in that West Yorkshire Metro do provide very favourable fare deals compared with other alternatives and other areas. The Car Lobby has been even more richly rewarded throughout the last half of the twentieth century, with huge investment in Road building administration and maintenance.
In a walk from Leeds University to Leeds Train Station there are eight intersections with motor traffic and at each the pedestrian is forced to give way by default. The majority of pelican crossings are switched automatically (As opposed to being pedestrian activated), and at two places diversions of fifty yards are obligatory.
On the same bike ride there are three one way systems to negotiate, and a total journey of 3 kilometres to travel 1500 meters. There are no cycle lanes, and although precise statistics cannot be quoted, it seems very dangerous.
The 'Trans Pennine Trail' is a route that is meant to take the cyclist and walker through Leeds, but is often non-existent or impossible to find. It is useful only as a short dog walk or blank ammunition for the cynical advocate of sensible transport. The needs of the pedestrian and cyclist are not met in any significant way.
In July 2000 the West Yorkshire Transport plan 2001 - 2006 was published. It is a large document, but starts with the following statement.
"VISION FOR TRANSPORT IN WEST YORKSHIRE
The West Yorkshire authorities and key partners are working together in order
that residents, businesses and visitors will enjoy a high quality integrated local
transport system that:
• is efficient, reliable, affordable and safe;
• meets the travel needs of all the people and businesses of West Yorkshire;
• secures a high quality environment, with the environmental impacts of traffic carefully managed in order to improve road safety and avoid compromising standards relating to noise, air quality and severance;
• provides access to a wide range of goods and services without the need for private motorised transport; thus ensuring that car use is seen as a choice rather than a necessity;
• does not have unacceptable effects on the local or global environment.
Achieving this Vision will require the development of high quality integrated public transport. It will also require the development of safe routes to all schools, extensive cycle tracks and other facilities for cyclists, an environment that encourages people to walk more and a more sustainable approach to the movement of freight.
The first West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan is an important step towards the achievement of this Vision."
It might be suggested that the attainment of such high ideals seems unlikely given an administration which pays it's civil servants 49p a mile to come to work in a car no matter what the distance, yet nothing to one who walks. I won't hold my breath.