YEP Says: Plan is a chance to get Leeds moving freely

Those are the words of a man who must be the most quoted (and misquoted) in the country, the Bard of Stratford-Upon-Avon, William Shakespeare.

Clearly he wasn’t talking about a new transport masterplan for Leeds (it was a quote from his play Julius Caesar) but thought of such a raw wound being reopened is enough to bring tears to anyone’s eyes. Leeds’s post trolleybus masterplan is just weeks away from being submitted to Ministers.

Transport bosses have spent many months putting together detailed proposals which will re-state the city’s case to secure £173.5m of Government funding.

A quick scan of today’s opinion pages shows the wide range of readers opinions on what is a priority for Leeds. Cyclists have a different view from pedestrians, whose opinion will differ from the motorist and the bus user. The commuter will have different priorities from the night owls in the bars and clubs. What we have to do is start with the common ground. Most people agree that getting people around this city can be done better.

We cannot squander this opportunity if we get it and whilst we have to accept that no plan will meet everyone’s expectations, it should deliver the fundamental objective of getting Leeds moving.