Coronavirus recovery gives Leeds chance to make motorway city greener - Labour MP Alex Sobel

The coronavirus recovery presents a major opportunity to rebuild a greener, cleaner future. But there are major dangers and pitfalls to overcome.

The most popular measure was: “We recommend that extensive positive action is taken to make the use of private cars a last resort for transportation.”

And what a step change that would be for a city that can only be reliably navigated with the use of a car.

Our de-regulated bus service is too expensive and unreliable, our cycle infrastructure is growing but still insufficient, pedestrians still feel inferior, and it is well known that we are the largest city in Europe without a mass transit system.

It is, therefore, vital that this conversation is not about ‘having a go’ at the driver.

We must accept that car travel is the inevitable consequence of decades long failure to address mobility.

It must be as easy as possible for everyone to be able to jump on public transport, or on their bike, and breeze into work. Not out of a sense of duty or climate guilt but because it is easier, faster and cheaper.

None of the measures to transform our city are free and I will be doing all I can in Westminster to push the Government for the funding promised in the Tory manifesto. But local finance is key.

Also in news: Could e-scooters be the future of transport in Leeds?

The Clean Air Zone is a measure to incentivise cleaner vehicles whilst raising some of the funds necessary to put in place key infrastructure. It will only charge heavy vehicles and taxis, but the technology can later include other vehicles.

The citizens jury felt that a key measure was to introduce a congestion charge to Leeds.

London has shown if you have alternative transport options that a congestion charge can have a key impact on air quality.

In Nottingham, the council introduced a City Centre Car Parking Levy which reduced business commuting and provided funds which helped build the tram.

A Congestion Charge will help provide funds needed for alternatives and, alongside other measures like bus franchising, could transform our transport options and air quality.

The Clean Air Zone will provide the infrastructure to make this much needed radical change a reality.

Lockdown has brought change of its own. The council, as the first line of defence, has seen its financial health plummet.

As people go back to work, will we have a major issue of trust in the safety of our public transport?

Home working has made our cities air quality alpine-fresh. This noticeable change is proof of the importance of a Clean Air Zone for when normality resumes, but will our recent low NO2 readings allow our Government, who have done nothing but frustrate the process so far, another easy excuse to delay again?

I urge every Leeds citizen reading this to join with me and demand better for ourselves and our children.

Covid-19 will bring change, we must make sure it is for the better.

Also in news: How land at the side of Yorkshire's motorways could help tackle climate change

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. These are challenging times but the team at the Yorkshire Evening Post need your support more than ever in the weeks ahead.

While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you - wherever possible and providing it is safe for you to do so - to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Inevitably falling advertising revenues will start to have an impact on local newspapers and the way we continue to work during this period of uncertainty. So the support of our readers has never been more important as we try to make sure that we keep you connected with the city you live in during this time. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. We need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Our team of trusted reporters are working incredibly hard behind the scenes - from kitchen tables and spare bedrooms - to look at how we can do this and your continued support to the YEP will help to protect its viability in the days and weeks ahead.

For more details on our subscription offers please visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk/YEP, email [email protected] or call us on 0330 4033004.

Thank you

Laura Collins, editor

More on this: We're there with you - now your YEP needs your support too