Spend transport money on communities rather than in Leeds city centre, council group leader demands

Coun Stewart Golton, who leads Leeds City Council's Liberal Democrats group, will claim this week that the authority's current plans to improve public transport in the city are based too heavily on improvements to the city centre, and that so-called "15-minute neighbourhoods" should instead be created in suburban residential areas.

Coun Golton is set to present his ideas to a full Leeds City Council meeting later this week as part of a motion, known as a white paper, which fellow councillors will be able to vote on whether to adopt it as council policy.

"Council also notes that leaving the car at home will require a significant focus on accommodating parked cars in residential streets. This council believes that the current two-speed approach to transport investment in the city, with the greatest amount currently spent on city centre projects focussed on a ‘9-5’ commuter economy, needs to change to reflect and respond to the above realities, and calls for the development of a transport plan for every ward in the city."

It added that such transport plans would "seek to maximise mobility for all sectors of population", and help create "15 Minute Neighbourhood" - a principle whereby people living in an area can access any amenity they need within 15 minutes via walking, cycling or public transport.

It concluded: "Through the development of such plans, the Council will ensure that access to local neighbourhood centres, parks, education and health venues has as much focus from our transport planners as city centre businesses, and that carers, the elderly, disabled, and young people are valued as much as those more able to enjoy the city’s current city-centre focussed transport system. Council therefore calls for a paper proposing such an initiative to be brought to the Executive Board for their consideration.”

Leeds City Council's Connecting Leeds strategy, released last autumn, said the council wants the city’s roads to contribute a reduction of “up to 43 per cent” in CO2 emissions by 2030, a 30 per cent reduction in car mileage and a 130 per cent increase in bus usage.

Among plans cited to help with this are driverless vehicles and charging employers for providing parking spaces to colleagues.

It also includes an aim to get funding to finally create a mass transit system for the city.

Coun Golton's motion will go before a full Leeds City Council meeting on Wednesday, March 23.