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South Leeds Life | December 2021
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Have your say on two South Leeds road schemes S
outh Leeds residents are being invited to comment on two new road improvement schemes. The first scheme, known as M2D2L is part of a wider West Yorkshire Scheme to improve the transport corridor from Mirfield, through Dewsbury to Leeds. It involves extending the new cycle route on Dewsbury Road in Beeston from the Tommy Wass junction down to the White Rose Shopping Centre and office park; and creating an outbound bus lane between Hunslet Fire Station and the Tommy Wass junction. The plans, which have been developed in partnership between Leeds City Council and Kirklees Council, with the support of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, include new road layouts and updates which will improve both congestion and sustainable transport opportunities, with improvements for buses, cyclists and pedestrians. In 2020, the first consultation on this project received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the public. However, concerns were raised about new cycling guidance which was not fully established at the time. Updated plans have now been made with this new guidance taken into consideration, largely thanks to residents who gave feedback on the project last year. The consultation is open until Tuesday 7 December 2021. Anyone affected by updates to the M2D2L can view the plans and have their say on the new and improved plans at bit.ly/m2d2l, by calling Metroline on (0113) 245 7676 or by emailing yourvoice@westyorkshireca.gov.uk The cost for the scheme will be met by funding from the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund and developer contributions. Works are planned to begin in late 2022. A second consultation is running on plans to deliver improvements on the A6110 Outer Ring Road in South Leeds between the White Rose Shopping Centre, A643 Elland Road
M2D2L will extend the Dewsbury Road cycle route to White Rose and A58 Whitehall Road. The A6110 outer ring road is a key The ambitious plans include arterial route which experiences improvements on the A6110 outer congestion during peak periods ring road that will reduce congestion causing delays to general traffic, and make it safer for people to walk reducing bus journey time reliability, and cycle. The proposed and increasing localised pollution improvements will also make bus and CO2 emissions. services quicker and more reliable The A6110 is also a key route for to provide a more attractive several express buses, many of alternative to the private vehicle which serve the White Rose bus when travelling this route. station. Therefore the addition of The enhancements are expected dedicated bus priority lanes along to be delivered in four phases taking the corridor is a key element of the a junction-by-junction approach. proposed improvements of the Phase one of the scheme will be at A6110 outer ring road scheme. the A643/A6110 south junction Councillor Kim Groves, West where the Churwell branch of Elland Yorkshire Transport Committee Lead Road meets the ring road. This Member for Public Transport, said: phase is proposed to be delivered by “People living and working along 2024. The remaining phases will be the A6110 outer ring road are well delivered when funding becomes aware of the issues caused by available. congestion and poor air quality. The consultation is seeking “This scheme will not only tackle feedback on new cycle tracks, bus priority measures including bus lanes with junction upgrades, highway space adjustments and new pedestrian crossings with footway improvements. The scheme aims to reduce delays along this busy route improving the journeys of residents and commuters for all modes of transport. The busy A643/A6110 south junction will be in Phase 1
HS2 rail line cancelled Continued from page 1 transport infrastructure yet again, the Government has said it will fund a West Yorkshire Mass Transit System. It has committed £200 million to plan and start work on the scheme which could include trams or light rail. Early plans indicated lines running from the city centre through Beeston and through Hunslet–Belle Isle –Middleton to Tingley. Commenting on this part of the Plan, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:"Of the £200m we've been offered, £100m is going to be spent on a Government
investigation into how to make Leeds-Sheffield journey times quicker. I am absolutely astonished that we could potentially spend £100m and come to the same conclusion that we need HS2 from Leeds to Sheffield." Both Leeds City Council and Transport For The North were very disappointed by the announcement. Council Leader Cllr James Lewis said: “After more than 10 years of effort, investment and planning based on the government’s clear proposal to bring HS2 to Leeds, we have been left extremely
disappointed and frustrated by today’s announcement which only offers more studies, reviews and uncertainty for high-speed connections to our city – but, sadly, we are not surprised.” He went on to say that the existing station is coping with record numbers of passengers; that there is no scope for extra services to run on the existing lines running into Leeds from the west and called for an overhaul of national transport decision making. He concluded: “We remain determined to make sure that this is the last time a major project benefiting Leeds is cancelled.” Cllr Louise Gittens, Interim Chair
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those issues head on, it will also make travelling by bus more attractive. “We know that reliability can often be a barrier to people using the bus but by providing priority bus lanes, we will be able to make a real difference to journey times.” The ring road suffers from a lack of pedestrian and cycling provision which discourages the uptake of more sustainable travel choices for residents and others that use this route on their daily commute. Have your say in the consultation, which closes 5 December 2021, and read more about the plans here: a6110.commonplace.is. Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds city council’s executive member for climate change, transport and sustainable development, said: “Now, more than ever, it’s important we reduce our collective carbon emissions. In Leeds, part of our commitment to this is an ambition to be a city where you don’t need a car. That means making public transport easier to use and promoting decarbonised travel. “We know that people are willing to make small gradual changes from switching to electric vehicles to making more use of public transport and reducing their reliance on private cars. “Our commitment is to be a net zero city by 2030 and infrastructure improvement schemes like this one will help our goal, to give people real travel choices by making bus services quicker and more reliable, whilst also making local journeys on foot and by bike safer, more convenient and attractive. “I would urge everyone to get involved with these consolations and make their views known.“
of Transport for the North commented “Today’s announcement is woefully inadequate. After decades of underfunding, the rail network in the North is not fit for purpose. It is largely twin-track Victorian infrastructure trying to cope with the demands of a 21st Century economy. Leaders from across the North and from across the party political divide came together to ask for a network that would upgrade the North for this century and in line with the rest of the country. Our statutory advice asked for an over £40 billion network but the Government has decided to provide even less than half of that.”
