Connectivity
Transport no longer being a barrier to people accessing jobs, businesses choosing to invest or residents improving their health.
Aim
An overall approach to connectivity that takes the view that transport should not be a barrier to people accessing jobs, to businesses choosing to invest in West Yorkshire, and to improving the health of our residents and visitors. Improvements in transport are a catalyst for change across all these objectives.
What success will look like
A connectivity pipeline of future transport interventions covering bus, rail, cycling, walking, and mass transit and demand responsive transport / future mobility solutions. The pipeline looks at the needs for connectivity to 2040 and has been created to:
- Enhance productivity by connecting all of our important places with a focus on our disadvantaged and peripheral groups/communities – for an inclusive economy
- Respond to the region’s carbon reduction target - for a sustainable economy
The pipeline will demonstrate integration and fit between rail, bus, bike, walking, digital demand responsive transport, mass transit and other innovative solutions.
Progress on a pipeline will help make the case to Government for funding – and help unlock the government's £4.2 billion infrastructure fund linked to the devolution deal.
Strengths
- A strategy led, evidence led approach to identifying our connectivity challenges and solutions
- Consistently applied across the whole West Yorkshire geography
- Recognises the wider travel for work area of the Leeds City Region
- Responds to West Yorkshire partner councils’ local plan and growth aspirations
- National Infrastructure Commission provided expert challenge to the approach and methodology
- Strong evidence base – with input from West Yorkshire (and North Yorkshire) partners
- Spatial plans will show which transport mode (or modes) is understood to provide the most appropriate solution for a particular geography
- Interventions address cross-boundary connectivity gaps
Challenges
- High car dependency and traffic congestion impacting on economic performance
- Disadvantaged and peripheral communities excluded from economic opportunity
- 89% of Transport CO2 emissions from road transport, particularly private cars
- Some of the worst air quality in the country – caused by vehicle emissions
- Low levels of physical activity
Policies and strategies
- Our vision for the future of transport in West Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire Transport Strategy 2040 (adopted by WYCA in 2017)
- West Yorkshire Bus Strategy (adopted by WYCA in 2017)
- Leeds City Region HS2 Growth Strategy (adopted in 2018)
- WY Local Plans
- Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans – Tranche 1 completed and adopted by WYCA in 2020, Tranche 2 commencing in 2020/21
- Future Mobility Strategy – being finalised for consultation in 2020
- WY Rail Vision – being finalised for consultation in 2020
- West Yorkshire Carbon Emission Reduction Pathways (CERP) study
Who’s helping make this happen
- Transport Committee
- Local Authority partners
What we are doing to make this happen
With a particular focus on communities identified as having the greatest economic need we’ve analysed 24 corridors and identified a long list of potential transport investments within each corridor. These corridors has been collated into 10 Corridor Case for Change reports which cover:
- Five Towns to Leeds
- Wakefield to Leeds
- Calder Valley and Bradford
- Leeds to Bradford:
- South and East Leeds
- Leeds to Huddersfield
- Airport, Airedale, Wharfedale
- East Kirklees to Wakefield
- West Kirklees to Calderdale
- North Yorkshire to Leeds
The evidence and outputs of the Case for Change reports are being integrated with other workstreams to investigate:
- Mass Transit technology and route options
- Bus Network Reviews
- Rail Vision and Capacity Study
- Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans
- Future Mobility Strategy
- West Yorkshire District Local Plans
- And to produce a connectivity plan and long term investment programme for the whole of West Yorkshire.
How this will meet our priorities
Boosting productivity:
- Connect people in areas of socio-economic need with economic opportunities
- Enable access from new developments to economic opportunities and labour markets
Tackling the climate emergency:
- Reduce transport emissions in line with target to become net zero-carbon by 2038, with significant progress being made by 2030
- Address local Air Quality Management Area constraints
- Improve physical and mental public health
Enabling inclusive growth:
- Deliver access to excluded communities
- Deliver access to further education and healthcare opportunities within the corridor
Delivering 21st century transport:
- Increase the number of destinations people in deprived communities can reach
- Address areas of congestion
- Address discrepancies in public transport frequency
Securing money and powers:
- Progress on a pipeline will help make the case to Government for funding – and help unlock the government's £4.2bn infrastructure fund linked to the devolution deal
Page last updated: 26/08/20