Road, Rail & Access Issues

[Aviador]

[textarea]Faster journeys in prospect after meeting with train firm

TRAIN journeys between Harrogate and Leeds could take less than 30 minutes for the first time after plans were revealed yesterday for a major re-structuring of the timetable.

The initiative could see services streamlined between the spa town and the West Yorkshire city, quickening journeys by as much as seven minutes – about a fifth of the time it currently takes to travel between the two.

A meeting was held yesterday between Northern Rail, which runs services between Leeds, Harrogate and York, and senior council and business officials.

Within three years, some services may not stop at Burley Park and Headingley stations in Leeds.

The meeting also discussed long-term hopes for trains every 20 minutes – rather than the current 30-minute intervals – between Leeds and Harrogate.

The Yorkshire Post revealed yesterday that efforts have started to campaign to improve rail connections between Harrogate and London, although the meeting with Northern Rail was about improving more local services.

The Harrogate Chamber of Trade and Commerce's chief executive, Brian Dunsby, said: "Northern Rail has supported the Harrogate line very well over recent years, and usage has increased.

"However, further improvements are needed, and the proposals which were discussed are under serious consideration.

"We have come a long way already, but more needs to be done."

Harrogate Borough Council's cabinet member for planning, transport and economic development, Councillor Don Mackenzie, who was also at the meeting, claimed it had been "very productive".

The meeting with Northern Rail also discussed the potential for installing a bus-rail link between Leeds-Bradford airport and Horsforth station.

An existing bus service between the airport and Harrogate is under threat as North Yorkshire County Council tries to slash subsidies as part of its multi-million pound cutbacks.

More than two million passengers use Harrogate's main station and its three satellite stations at Starbeck, Pannal and Hornbeam Park each year – up from 1.7 million six years ago.

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Not entirely related to the airport but some good points that could have an impact on journey times to the airport in the future.

 

[Galaxy]

I have nothing but contempt for Northern and the associated councils after reading that. Headingley and Burley park provide the Harrogate line with more passengers than every station on that line apart from Horsforth. Why not make Weeton and Pannal and the rest of the backwaters request stops? I'm totally disgusted by that.

 

[Galaxy]

And to add to that, I've just emailed Greg Mulholland MP to let him know what I think! I hope he supports my contempt for Northern and Harrogate Council.

 

[User0001]

Not quite correct. Harrogate is the busiest station on the line, followed by Horsforth. Pannal is a busy commuter station, but quiet at other times. If you want something done, you'd be better writing to Metro than Leeds City, Harrogate and North Yorkshire Councils.

 

[Galaxy]

Yes I'm fully aware of the facts now, and have done plenty: http://www.facebook.com/Campaign-to-Sav ... 9896047132

 

[ls27]

I was looking at the North Yorkshire transport reduction of £600,000 in the budget, and the timetable reductions on the Metro site.It shows that the Harrogate - LBA route has been withdrawn.

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Leeds Bradford Airport car park could be closed

A 2200-capacity car park near Leeds Bradford Airport that has been operating for 11 years without council permission is unlikely to receive permanent planning approval. But councillors said that there was a short-term need for off-site car parking near the airport and were willing to offer a 5 or 10 year permission for the Sentinel car park at Warren House Lane, Yeadon.

The councillors overturned planning officers' recommendations that no car park should be on the land, which is earmarked for employment use and contravenes council planning policy. They deferred the application to allow planning officers to speak to the applicant, Austin Hayes Ltd, to see if a short-term planning consent would be acceptable.

Panel chairman councillor Neil Taggart said that poor public transport links meant that there was still a need for off airport car parking - and that there is not enough parking at the airport during peak summer months. He said: ‘If we refuse permission and enforcement officers were to try to take enforcement action and closed the car park, where would all the cars go? It's been there for more than 10 years - would the council be able to take enforcement action?’

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[Runway 32]

Leeds Bradford Airport car park could be closed

Would the council even consider having this car park closed if they still owned the airport given what headaches closing the car park could cause? I don't think they would! The council do know how to make life easy for themselves and difficult for others!

 

[Seasider]

I have used this Car Park many times when flying from LBA and found it gave excellent service and competitive prices. I know the Council are trying to encourage people to use public transport, but I don't have much as an option as I can't get there before 2pm and the last connection back is 1.30pm(from the east coast)

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Council does not want to take action against Sentinel operation

An airport car park has been allowed to operate for about a decade without planning permission after council officers failed to pick it up on their radar.

But despite the mistake, planners at Leeds City Council have made it clear they do not want to take any action which could see the Sentinel operation shut down.

Despite being shocked that the 1,700-space car park on Warren House Lane, Yeadon, had been allowed to operate for so long without planning permission, councillors argued that it was meeting a shortfall in airport parking.

And they refused to vote on an application which could have led to enforcement action being taken against the company.

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[Seasider]

Glad to see common sense has won the day.

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]Campaigners from Menston, Horsforth, Apperley Lane and Aireborough warn of gridlock

Community groups along the A65 corridor have joined forces to fight massive housing developments which they warn will create “a crisis for the future”.

And the newly formed alliance of five organisations is calling on Leeds and Bradford councils to work together to prevent gridlock along the major route and other local roads.

The groups – Menston Action Group, Menston Community Association, Horsforth Civic Society, Apperley Lane Residents Association and Aireborough Civic Society – issued a joint statement following an emergency meeting to discuss plans for thousands of new homes in the area.

They will now work to prevent large-scale housing developments obtaining planning permission – and they are inviting other community groups to join the battle.

The meeting was called amid concerns about a series of proposed and approved developments in the area.

Applications have been submitted for 300 new homes on green field sites in Menston, and for a total of 550 homes at Horsforth on the Clariant and Riverside sites.

Protesters say that approval has already been given for more than 2,500 homes in the area along the A65 corridor and that the impact of these developments is still to be seen.

Aireborough Civic Society chairman Clive Woods said: “Such massive developments affect everybody who lives between Leeds and Ilkley on the A65 yet under the current planning system the effects are only looked at from a very local point of view – as if residents never drive out of the local area! The total effect seems not to be taken into account.”

He warned: “We are building up a crisis for the future and, given the current financial situation and past experience in the times of plenty, it is hard to imagine big improvements to the local infrastructure.”

The meeting heard that there is already planning permission for more than 1,000 homes at Kirkstall Forge, 850 at Woodside in Horsforth, 200 at the Brook Crompton site in Guiseley, and 391 at the High Royds site at Menston with only one third completed and sold.

In a statement, the five groups say: “We still do not know the total impact on the A65 or these developments, yet now the area is faced with the prospect of 300 new houses in Menston at Derry Hill and on Bingley Road on green belt sites, as well as another 550 homes at the Clariant/Riverside Mills site on the outer ring road at Horsforth. “Neither the A65 between Horsforth and Ilkley, nor the outer ring road at Horsforth can cope with the existing traffic and it will be even worse when the 2,500 homes already with planning permission are built – with up to 4,000 more cars in the area. Another 950 homes on top of this would be a disaster.”

They say traffic already queues along the A65 on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as during weekday rush hours.

They say: “The problem seems to be that each of these large planning applications is looked at in isolation without considering the effects just a few miles away and no account is taken of all the new developments that already have planning permission.”

They say the A65 and other local roads are already far too congested.

They add: [hi-lighty:3kdftkdd]“These continual residential developments can only add to the increasing congestion problems already being experienced by regular users of the A65 corridor, the A658 and the Leeds Ring Road which have been caused as a direct result of large-scale housing developments and Leeds Bradford Airport expansion.”[/hi-lighty:3kdftkdd]

LBIA has disputed claims that it causes undue traffic problems.

The groups say: “In the current economic climate there is little chance of improvements to local road infrastructure so both Bradford and Leeds councils need to work together and ensure that ill-considered planning applications do not cause total gridlock on the A65 and other local roads.”

Horsforth councillors Brian Cleasby and Chris Townsley have written to hundreds of residents warning them about the proposals to build a total of 550 homes on the ring road at Horsforth.

They are arguing that the schemes for 150 homes and 400 homes, respectively, would be “utter madness” and would have a huge impact on the lives of local people.

They are urging local residents to write to the planning department at Leeds City Council to make their views known.

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[News Guru]

[textarea]Concerns expressed over Leeds Bradford Airport traffic problems

Councillors voice concerns over access as airport highlights plans to increase passenger numbers

A council watchdog has welcomed plans to increase the number of passengers using Leeds Bradford Airport from more than 2.7 million passengers each year to five milllion.

But councillors on yesterday's city development scrutiny committee said that while they recognised the economic benefits to the region of increased visitors and the number of extra jobs that would be created, they told airport chiefs that a better transport infrastructure needed to be in place to avoid making already congested roads even worse.

A report received by councillors pointed to works on the A65 Quality Bus Initiative, a link road and a tram-train link between the airport and Leeds city centre using existing rail lines and a new tram route, improvements at the A6120 ring road/A65 junction and enhanced bus services as areas that were being looked at.

Otley and Yeadon Liberal Democrat councillor Colin Campbell said he wasn't anti-airport and recognised the 'significant contribution' it makes to the economy, but said the airport's expansion worried him. He said:

"The airport is now a private company and its rationale is to make profit and expand, and there is nothing wrong with that.

"But if its passenger numbers increase to five million it will have significant impact on the infrastructure around the airport and a wider part of Leeds over to North Yorkshire.

"There's been talk of a tram-train link and new road but it's proven difficult to convince the department for transport to fund these operations and it's going to be very difficult to convince this new government to provide a road link or tram train link.

"I think any future transport strategy ought to be realistic enough to reflect that - but it leaves us with a real problem of access and increasing vehicle movements through local roads which imoact on local residents."

Meeting chairman John Procter said:

"There are some real issues about getting to and from the airport. The feeling from members here today is that we wish the airport well and we want millions more people to use it, but there is a problem with the existing road infrastructure that needs addressing."

Councillors also raised concerns about the lack of a rank for all local taxi companies to use at the airport and also said that sat-nav systems often took people through residential streets such as Scotland Lane instead of main routes.

The scrutiny board agreed to examine the issues in greater detail and look at what influence the council has over the airport's surface access strategy at next month's meeting.

At the meeting, airport chief executive John Parkin acknowledged the importance of having the correct infrastructure in place to cope with an increased number of passengers.

He said there was £70 million worth of investment earmarked in the coming years to improve the infrastructure at the airport .

In terms of passenger numbers, LBIA is ranked as the 17th largest UK airport by the Civil Aviation Authority.

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[lbaspotter]

There is a rumour going around that a certain bus company (No names mentioned) is looking at introducing a new commercial bus link (Not Metro Tendered) operating between Leeds Rail Station and the Airport.
The service will run every 30 mins Monday-Saturdays 06:30-19:30 via a complete different route compared to the existing centrebus 757 service. Running Limited Stopped via the Universities, Headingley, Lawnswood-Ring Road, Woodside & Horsforth Rail Station.

From what I understand the company will have branded buses and it will also be advertised as a Direct AirtoRail link that LBA have been trying to get connected with Horsforth Rail Station.

I guess it will be a well used service if it's introduced between now and the summer.

 

[Huddy]

This could possibly tie up with me seeing driver training buses on bayton lane then turning left and going down past trinity?

 

[White Heather]

That would be a really useful route. We did have one similar to that some years ago for a brief period, although that did not use Bayton Lane and operated via Rawdon village and Harrogate Road. The more bus routes that terminate or operate via the airport, the better, and of course an increase in services is a planning requirement for the terminal development, so the airport have to continue to work hard on attracting such services. We are not privy to the finer planning consent details, but the lack of additional buses so far might actually have something to do with the fact that the terminal development has not yet started.

 

[WYIA]

What we need is an airport shuttle from Leeds City train station to the airport with no stops!!!!! The 757 service is so annoying, its not punctual & seats are taken up by people only going 3 stops with some shopping! Its so tacky & half hearted!

Also, what is the point in a service that starts at 0630 in the morning! Come the summer the majority of the early outbounds are boarding at that time! Completely useless!!

A shuttle service between Horsforth station and the terminal is also wayyyyyyy overdue now! Using a similar size bus they use for the carparks and running every 20 minutes would be perfect!

Its really not that hard, why do people always have to take a simple idea hat will work and complicate it!

 

[User0001]

leeds bradford airport has one of the best road networks around the airport than people, there talks at the moment to have a monorail link the airport to Leeds bus and rail station and Bradford interchange, but this is if a rail link doesn't happen

 

[Huddy]

Leeds Bradford airport has one of the best road networks around the airport than people, there talks at the moment to have a monorail link the airport to Leeds bus and rail station and Bradford interchange, but this is if a rail link doesn't happen

I think your wrong on the road network, nearest motorway is 8-10 miles away...

 

[White Heather]

I agree WYIA - it is now well over a year since the suggestion of a link bus from Horsforth and possibly Guiseley to the airport was suggested at the consultative committee, and it has been discussed every meeting since - with very positive comments from the airport itself. However, as with everything, it seems to take so long. How difficult can it be?

The proposed new bus is good in that it goes to the airport and offers another way of getting there, but would clearly not be ideal for travelling passengers and certainly not for those with early flights. I just think that the more buses that route to and from the airport, the more options passengers have for getting there, whether they work there or are travelling. A direct express route is clearly the best way for passengers - however, those that we had in the past all failed as there were insufficient passengers to keep them operating. Only by having a normal service bus, with stops along the way, did they prove successful enough to be maintained. At what point the passenger numbers at the airport are sufficient to support a direct express bus I really wouldn't know, but in my view, any bus is better than no bus at all, and the more routes the better! It is rediculous that there is no link to the airport via the Headingley/West Park/Cookridge and Horsforth areas, particularly given the number of people in those areas who might work at the airport.