'Too often our streets are places for cars, not people' - challenges for Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy to overcome

The draft Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy draws on the idea of developing '20-minute neighbourhoods' where people can walk or cycle to access key services needed on a daily basis instead of making longer journeys by car.

It also proposes adopting the Vision Zero approach to road safety, with the goal being to ensure that there are no annual fatalities or serious injuries on Leeds roads by 2040.

Currently out to public consultation, the strategy says: "Too often our streets are places for cars, not people. Cars take up a lot of space relative to the number of people they can move around.

"They also cause congestion and impact on the people of Leeds, from air and noise pollution, to delaying public transport and the movement of goods as well as making streets unpleasant places to be.

"Road danger can be caused by large numbers of vehicles moving at high speed, in places where people want to be. By removing vehicles, we can enhance local environments, creating green spaces, planting more plants and trees, which is known to improve mental health."

It also notes that older people, the very young, disabled people and those living on lower incomes are often the most affected by the negative impacts of a "car-dependent" city.

For this reason, the strategy lists the task of creating healthier streets, spaces and communities as one of its six 'big moves' planned to make Leeds a place where cars are not a necessity and everyone has access to affordable, zero carbon methods of travel.

Coun Lisa Mulherin, executive member for climate change, transport and sustainable development, said: "We know that a quarter of chronic disease in the city is related to people being inactive."

She said prioritising walking and cycling for shorter journeys would help to improve health and wellbeing, as would choosing less polluting modes of transport for longer journeys.

The strategy says the council will continue to work to develop local cycling and walking infrastructure for every community, and maintain the city's Outer Ring Road as the primary route for vehicle trips around the city.

It will also monitor Active Travel Neighbourhood trials now taking place to see if they encourage people to walk and cycle more as well as reducing rat-running.

Other suggestions include creating more spaces for cycles and electric vehicle charging, and developing a local shared ownership model for transport through the provision of car clubs and bike sharing.

The public consultation comes a year on from the launch of the Yorkshire Evening Post's Unlock the Gridlock campaign, which set out five key transport priorities in response to concerns consistently raised by readers about the congestion and unreliable public transport networks that were blighting their lives on a daily basis.

It will run until March 26, before the feedback from the public and other stakeholders is reviewed. An updated strategy is then expected to be published in early summer.

Visit leedstransportstrategy.commonplace.is/ to learn more about the proposals, read the draft strategy in full or make comments.

Also in news: The numbers behind the Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy

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