Connectivity Infrastructure Plan

Many thanks for contacting us and sharing your ideas about high-speed and local transit for the future.  

You are correct in saying that rail technology is suitable for a wide variety of speed ranges and can operate on significant gradients, beyond those which are common at present in Britain.  As you suggest, this is a mature technology with an excellent safety record.  In fact, in the majority of cases (the main exceptions being a small number of specialised short-distance mountain lines such as in the Alps), such railways and tramways rely on the “conventional” rail principle of the adhesion of the steel wheel on the steel rail.  Magnets are occasionally also used as a supplementary form of braking, such as for emergencies.  

With regard to the specific situation of Leeds – Bradford Airport, we would confirm that consideration has been given to a direct rail link (whether standard mainline “heavy” rail or light rail / tram-train).  However, the conclusion was reached that a “parkway” station for the airport is the most appropriate here in the short and medium terms, having regard to technical compatibility with the wider transport network, physical deliverability, financial affordability, environmental impact, and the optimum way to serve the variety of potential markets identified (including acting as a local park-and-ride hub).  

We hope you find this information helpful. 

Thank you for your query. 

Last summer we piloted our approach to Local Cycling and Walking Implementation Plans across all five of the districts. Whilst this included a couple of cross-boundary schemes, generally we were exploring the methodology and how best to engage on the process within each district by trying out a single scheme in each district. These are available on our website as part of the Connectivity Plan consultation. We have learnt from the experience and are now rolling out a far bigger Phase Two of the process which is identifying not only five more key routes (and the changes needed to keep cyclist safe) in each district but also further interventions around these routs to enable safe access to them from the surrounding areas. Although this process ahs only just begun, it is the first step in building a pipeline of schemes for us to put forward for funding as and when this comes available. We are working with Sustrans and the Canal and Rivers Trust to make sure that all of our networks, recreational and utility, on- and off-road work together as a coherent and cohesive whole. This includes making sure that across boundaries we have agreed routes and approaches to ensure that routes don’t stop randomly at boundaries or have a transition from one approach (fully segregated) to another, less effective approach. We’ll be consulting on these schemes over the coming months and years as they come through the pipeline, both at early stages (are we connecting the right places?) and later in the development process (are we connecting them the right way?) but schools are very much a key aspect of our route definition process. Making it easier for kids to cycle to and from school independently, or for parents to cycle their children to school is important in making cycling a viable, attractive and useful form of transport for a wide range of users and so we aim to connect schools with their catchment areas wherever we can. We are supporting this both at a Combined Authority and local council level with local School Streets interventions, where we close streets around schools at the start and end of the day to make sure that streets are safer for children and parents, but also to encourage people to consider alternatives to car-based mobility for picking up or dropping off their children. For more information on the plans I encourage you to click the link below. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see links  to the LCWIP for each of the five districts. www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/improving-transport/walking-and-cycling-strategy 

We hope this answered your question. If you have any further questions about active travel, please let us know. 

Thank you!

Thank you for your query. We have now uploaded a pdf version of the survey onto the dedicated Your Voice page. You can view and download the survey here: Connectivity Plan - Questionnaire (amazonaws.com)  or by going to the Documents section and Additional documents folder on the Your Voice page: www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/connectivity.