£60m of bus infrastructure improvements move up a gear

£60m of bus infrastructure improvements are set to begin one year after the launch of Connecting Leeds, the council’s transport strategy.

Over the next few weeks Connecting Leeds will start the construction on a number of schemes, which include the extension to Elland Road Park and Ride, work along the A660 (Holt Lane), A61N (Moortown Corner) and A58 (York Road).

Road improvements on the A61 south from the city centre to Stourton and a new Park and Ride at Stourton will start over the summer. In addition, work on the A647 Leeds to Bradford route is planned for later this year.

All these schemes are part of the £270m investment in improving the transport network in Leeds over the coming years.

Stourton park and ride is set to create an additional 1,200 car park spaces. This along with the sites at Elland Road and Temple Green are now removing around 9,000 cars from city centre roads each week.

Bus corridor improvements along the A647 corridor are expected to reduce journey times by 10-15 minutes.

Across the city, consultation carried out on these proposals has seen 40 public events, along with plans to redevelop the city centre have produced 19,000 responses to the council’s transport plans.

Connecting Leeds includes a partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and support of bus operators First Leeds, Arriva Yorkshire and Transdev.

Together the bus operators have signed up to the Bus Alliance in order to double bus patronage in Leeds, over ten years. First Leeds have delivered a third of its new buses, after committing to invest £71m in 284 new ultra-low emission vehicles for Leeds.

Junction improvement works have started along the Outer Ring Road in preparation for main East Leeds Orbital Route (ELOR). In the autumn construction will begin on the 7km of new road, which will act as a catalyst for the East Leeds Extension, seeing in the region of 5,000 new homes built.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council executive member for transport, regeneration and planning, said: “The aim of Connecting Leeds is to make public transport an attractive option that is reliable, quick, comfortable, and environmentally cleaner than the car. Whether it’s through the expansion of park and ride or our planned bus corridor improvements, we’re confident that we can get more people onto the bus.”

Councillor Kim Groves, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, added: “These significant road improvement schemes will reduce congestions hotspot and make buses more reliable and punctual, as well as improving local air quality.

“Along with more park and ride spaces and the provision of better real-time information displays, this work will help will help us achieve the key aim of the West Yorkshire Bus Alliance, which is to increase the numbers of people using bus services in Leeds and across West Yorkshire.”

Nigel Foster, chair of Leeds Transport Panel, also said: “The panel is pleased to see the fast progress being made by Leeds City Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and their partners in delivering the Connecting Leeds programme.

“This investment in transport is at the heart of the council’s plans to create an attractive and liveable city centre. It also supports ambitious plans for inclusive growth, tackling climate change and creating a healthy environment.”