Mass-transit system in Leeds would be a waste of taxpayers' money - YEP letters

I note that West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority is yet again wasting taxpayers’ money on more consultants for yet another mass-transit system based in Leeds.

Yet after all this spending WYPTA still hasn’t come up with an opinion of the best way forward.

Perhaps the WYPTA needs to focus on sorting out the transport systems that already exist. The system in West Yorkshire is actually worse now than it was when I moved to Leeds in 1979.

The privatisation of buses and trains has been a major factor with massive fare increases and many bus routes in particular being axed.

To move forward WYPTA need to regain control of public transport in the area as there is no future while it remains in the hands of private companies whose main aim is to make profits for shareholders.

The WYPTA also carries some of the responsibility for the ruination of public transport.

When I moved to Leeds I was amazed by how easy it was to get around using public transport. Maps of both the train and bus routes were available and colour-coded with the timetables to make it easier to plan routes to where you wanted to go. These have now disappeared. Now you cannot even find timetables at the Tourist Information Office in Leeds! WYPTA blame this on cost yet they have spent millions on consultants, etc, for defunct schemes like Supertram and Follybus.

There still isn’t any sort of integration of existing bus and train times so how can the WYPTA talk about integrating with a new mass-transit system?

The WYPTA seem obsessed with creating cycle lanes that hardly anyone uses rather than improving the road surfaces throughout so cyclists can find quieter routes to use for commuting or leisure cycling. The onset of global warming, the increase in rainfall and other inclement weather has put a dampener on mass use of bicycles for commuting.

Where new housing estates have been built close to railway lines, planning officers have given permission for house construction without insisting that new rail stations be built to cater for the additional population. This could have taken thousands of cars a day off the road.

Councillors need to start focusing on providing practical solutions for the people they represent rather than trying to boost the ‘social status’ of the area with impractical, grandiose schemes.