Transport strategy

Our ambition is to create a modern, world-class, well-connected transport system that makes travel around West Yorkshire easy and reliable.

To deliver our vison of a globally-recognised economy where good growth delivers high levels of prosperity, jobs and quality of life for everyone, we need a modern, world-class, well-connected transport system that makes travel around West Yorkshire easy and reliable.

The West Yorkshire Transport Strategy 2040 sets out how we intend to achieve this.

Our objectives and policies

To realise our ambitions for the region, the transport strategy must address the following objectives:

  • Economy: Create a more reliable, less congested, better connected transport network
  • Environment: Have a positive impact on our built and natural environment
  • People & Place: Put people first to create a strong sense of place

Our Transport Strategy 2040 ambitions and policies are framed within six core themes:

Inclusive Growth, Environment, Health and Wellbeing
  • Our ambition is to connect people to better living standards and higher earning jobs, and to significantly improve the health, overall well-being and environment of the people living and working here.
  • We aim to reduce traffic emissions to near zero, tackle the damaging impacts of climate change on our homes and businesses and reduce road accidents, aspiring to ‘zero tolerance’ of transport-related deaths. We want to become known as a great, safe place for cycling and walking.
Road network
  • Our ambition is for an efficient, safe and reliable road network for all users that creates new opportunities for jobs and housing.
  • We aim to deliver a step-change in the reliability of journey times for people and goods, and to provide high quality infrastructure for all users.
Places to live and work
  • Our ambition is for West Yorkshire to be known for the quality and liveability of its places.
  • We will use our transport investment to help transform our cities, towns and neighbourhoods - to create clean, safe, healthy places for communities and businesses, which attracts greater inward investment.
One System Public Transport
  • Our ambition is for a world-class public transport system that connects different modes of transport seamlessly into one comprehensive, easy-to-use network.
  • We aim to transform the performance, image and experience of public transport to make it an attractive choice for all.
Smart futures
  • Our ambition is to make best use of advancements in technology across all of our transport networks.
  • We aim to better plan and manage all of our transport networks to transform the affordability, ease and experience of the people using it.
Asset management and resilience
  • Our ambition is to ensure that we make best use of our existing and future transport assets.
  • We aim to ensure our transport networks are fit for the future and properly managed in a safe, sustainable, environmentally-friendly and cost-effective way.

Projects we’re delivering

The Transport Strategy 2040 encompasses a wide range of projects, all designed to deliver on the vision of providing modern, world-class, well-connected and reliable transport to enhance business success and people’s lives.

Projects include taking steps to reduce vehicle emissions, making roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians, major road improvements such as Castleford Northern Gateway, East Leeds Orbital Road, the Leeds Bradford Airport Link Road and rolling out Smart Motorways.

The Transport Strategy also covers major improvements to our rail stations and continuing rail electrification, the design and consultation over HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail, and further improvements to the MCard smartcard travel system, as well as improved flood defences, pothole repairs and road improvements.

More information

For more information about the West Yorkshire Transport Strategy, download the full strategy pdf

Related pages

  1. Transport Strategy archive

    Documents relating to the public consultation, Integrated Sustainability Appraisal and Leeds City Region Metro Study supporting the creation of the West Yorkshire Transport Strategy.