WYCA's pedestrianisation problems

[Username]

I know there is a separate thread about this certain topic already but it's not inclusive on other operators to First and other areas to Bradford.

WYCA have launched ideas to pedestrianise many places such as:
Hall Ings, Bradford
Market Street, Halifax
City Square, Leeds

Currently as of yet, the pedestrianisation of City Square and Wellington street has gone ahead to construction stage causing multiple delays to many bus services in Leeds such as 229, 254 and 255 being the main ones as it has increased journey times by 39%. It seems for some peculiar reason WYCA have been obsessed with turning streets into massive pavement areas lately and thinking it will attract more people but it just causes complications. Maybe if they want paved areas and city plazas they should knock down abandoned buildings instead of tampering around with streets that are actually vital. If they were to pedestrianise some dodgy back street then fair enough.

[westyorkshirebus]

The individual councils have come up with these ideas and are working in partnership with WYCA

WYCA aren’t coming up with the ideas centrally in an office in Leeds, it is misleading to suggest they are

The thread about the Leeds works is here travelwestyorks.proboards.com/thread/5899/connecting-leeds-latest-proposals?page=9

The Bradford proposals were discussed at length only last week here travelwestyorks.proboards.com/thread/6480/bradford-centre-rerouting-roads-pedestrianised

[joseph]

Mar 23, 2023 22:24:49 GMT 1 westyorkshirebus said:

The individual councils have come up with these ideas and are working in partnership with WYCA

WYCA aren’t coming up with the ideas centrally in an office in Leeds, it is misleading to suggest they are

The thread about the Leeds works is here travelwestyorks.proboards.com/thread/5899/connecting-leeds-latest-proposals?page=9

The Bradford proposals were discussed at length only last week here travelwestyorks.proboards.com/thread/6480/bradford-centre-rerouting-roads-pedestrianised

It's a good idea to have these pedestrian/cycle lane schemes all in one thread, and to clarify WYCA do have some input into these proposals as they are responsible for infrastructure throughout West Yorkshire jointly with individual councils. Don't forget, WYCA is made up of all the councils in West Yorkshire. Personally, I blame the useless Mayor, crap as an actress, crap as an MP (Did Batley see the big improvements it badly needs under her, nope) and now crap as a mayor. I've never known anybody waste so much money, wasting money on planning for a tram scheme that's never going to get the go ahead for a start. Then you've got those DRT buses in East Leeds still only carry single numbers when ever I see them, just last night I saw an empty one pick up only ONE person on Upper Accommodation Road around 4pm, work finishing time, industrial area, you'd think they'd be at least a few more bearing in mind there are 3 quite sizeable employers round there (the bakery, pet warehouse and greetings card place). 

[Deleted]

I Do think on the whole the Leeds scheme has been a positive move. Yes there has been issues with it with Whitehall Rd being the biggest but if/when the proposed 2nd railway car park entrance is built with the new bridge next to 'CitiPark7' that should help solve some of the problems (although as it was National Rail funded I wouldn't be surprised if it's already been quietly dropped)

Normally when they talk about getting people out of their cars they mention the 'carrot & stick' approach - I Think in Leeds case it's been all stick & not enough carrot, some of it being outside of our Mayors hands:

- Both NPR & HS2 New lines have been binned, alongside the Rail Station extension meaning there's no capacity to increase the frequency of the WY 'Local' suburban network.

- The Mass Transit scheme is still up in the air at the moment, in fact some of the pedestrianizing was done with future tram routes in mind.

- Bus Cuts, what despite what some others thing is mostly out of the Mayors control - there's rules on what she can use the BSIP money on & funding to keep current routes from cuts is against them rules although the question remains over the P&R Cuts, with them being under control by the WYCA.


I Am more sceptical over the Bradford proposals - when first looking at them with all the various bus 'hubs' my first thought was they was copying the Edinburgh proposals on the cheap (Edinburgh's plans also included a frequent free city centre bus running every 2-3 mins plus will have the trams running cross-city)

Most of the ones in the city centre itself are not too bad, but the changes i'd make are scrapping the Goitside & Citypark 'hubs' & the new pocket park,with bus lanes running in both directions from the top of Goodwin Street down to the Croft Street junction, along with keeping the bottom of Little Horton Lane open to buses only - this all allowing an easier journey from that end of the city to the Interchange.

For the Hall Ings/Well Street proposals, I think the only change I'd make is for services going up Leeds Road, with them leaving the Interchange using Drake Street to get onto Hall Ings, with the current bus stops outside Broadway moving slightly north into what is currently the taxi layby.

[Username]

Mar 24, 2023 15:44:29 GMT 1 @cp2012 said:

I Do think on the whole the Leeds scheme has been a positive move. Yes there has been issues with it with Whitehall Rd being the biggest but if/when the proposed 2nd railway car park entrance is built with the new bridge next to 'CitiPark7' that should help solve some of the problems (although as it was National Rail funded I wouldn't be surprised if it's already been quietly dropped)

Normally when they talk about getting people out of their cars they mention the 'carrot & stick' approach - I Think in Leeds case it's been all stick & not enough carrot, some of it being outside of our Mayors hands:

- Both NPR & HS2 New lines have been binned, alongside the Rail Station extension meaning there's no capacity to increase the frequency of the WY 'Local' suburban network.

- The Mass Transit scheme is still up in the air at the moment, in fact some of the pedestrianizing was done with future tram routes in mind.

- Bus Cuts, what despite what some others thing is mostly out of the Mayors control - there's rules on what she can use the BSIP money on & funding to keep current routes from cuts is against them rules although the question remains over the P&R Cuts, with them being under control by the WYCA.


I Am more sceptical over the Bradford proposals - when first looking at them with all the various bus 'hubs' my first thought was they was copying the Edinburgh proposals on the cheap (Edinburgh's plans also included a frequent free city centre bus running every 2-3 mins plus will have the trams running cross-city)

Most of the ones in the city centre itself are not too bad, but the changes i'd make are scrapping the Goitside & Citypark 'hubs' & the new pocket park,with bus lanes running in both directions from the top of Goodwin Street down to the Croft Street junction, along with keeping the bottom of Little Horton Lane open to buses only - this all allowing an easier journey from that end of the city to the Interchange.

For the Hall Ings/Well Street proposals, I think the only change I'd make is for services going up Leeds Road, with them leaving the Interchange using Drake Street to get onto Hall Ings, with the current bus stops outside Broadway moving slightly north into what is currently the taxi layby.

NPR has been revived apparently. Since Lizz Trust. 

[Deleted]

Mar 24, 2023 17:07:39 GMT 1 Username said:

Mar 24, 2023 15:44:29 GMT 1 @cp2012 said:

I Do think on the whole the Leeds scheme has been a positive move. Yes there has been issues with it with Whitehall Rd being the biggest but if/when the proposed 2nd railway car park entrance is built with the new bridge next to 'CitiPark7' that should help solve some of the problems (although as it was National Rail funded I wouldn't be surprised if it's already been quietly dropped)

Normally when they talk about getting people out of their cars they mention the 'carrot & stick' approach - I Think in Leeds case it's been all stick & not enough carrot, some of it being outside of our Mayors hands:

- Both NPR & HS2 New lines have been binned, alongside the Rail Station extension meaning there's no capacity to increase the frequency of the WY 'Local' suburban network.

- The Mass Transit scheme is still up in the air at the moment, in fact some of the pedestrianizing was done with future tram routes in mind.

- Bus Cuts, what despite what some others thing is mostly out of the Mayors control - there's rules on what she can use the BSIP money on & funding to keep current routes from cuts is against them rules although the question remains over the P&R Cuts, with them being under control by the WYCA.


I Am more sceptical over the Bradford proposals - when first looking at them with all the various bus 'hubs' my first thought was they was copying the Edinburgh proposals on the cheap (Edinburgh's plans also included a frequent free city centre bus running every 2-3 mins plus will have the trams running cross-city)

Most of the ones in the city centre itself are not too bad, but the changes i'd make are scrapping the Goitside & Citypark 'hubs' & the new pocket park,with bus lanes running in both directions from the top of Goodwin Street down to the Croft Street junction, along with keeping the bottom of Little Horton Lane open to buses only - this all allowing an easier journey from that end of the city to the Interchange.

For the Hall Ings/Well Street proposals, I think the only change I'd make is for services going up Leeds Road, with them leaving the Interchange using Drake Street to get onto Hall Ings, with the current bus stops outside Broadway moving slightly north into what is currently the taxi layby.

NPR has been revived apparently. Since Lizz Trust. 

When we are now looking at a possibility where HS2 won't get to central London (it's being floated around that it could be cut back to Old Oak Common) I Wouldn't hold my breath over a new build NPR Via Bradford getting built - there's also the slight issue that without HS2 & the Leeds Station expansion, there's no room in the current station for the NPR services.