FAQs

The projects under development by Leeds City Council, in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, will deliver major improvements to cycling infrastructure in and around Leeds city centre. These projects link some of the existing cycle tracks together to create a comprehensive network for cycling into and out of the city centre.

The projects aim to make cycling easier and safer and to enable people to make more and longer active journeys. The projects will likely include segregated cycle tracks built to the superhighway standard, separate traffic signals for cyclists and protected junction crossings, and could include routes away from the main roads or on quieter streets or routes following the existing traffic routes into and out of the city. Pedestrian routes will also be upgraded to allow safe walking for short and medium journeys.

Five other projects were consulted on in early 2021:

• Western Gateway
• Eastern Gateway
• Southern Gateway
• Holbeck Gateway
• Crown Point Bridge

Support was received during the earlier public consultation for the five cycling routes, making up the remainder of this scheme. 

The feedback from this consultation has been used to refine the designs for these projects, which have been approved for delivery by Leeds City Council’s Executive Board, subject to final costs being approved by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Delivery is expected to be completed in mid-2023. 

• The first phase of the Holbeck Gateway is now complete, with work on the second phase due to start in spring 
• Construction work is also due to start on the Crown Point Bridge Gateway and the second phase of the Holbeck Gateway routes in the spring
• Work on the Western Gateway and Southern Gateway is expected on site in the summer.

To find out more about the initial public consultation, visit https://www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/leeds-ccci.

Yes - the West Yorkshire Combined Authority has received funding through the Transforming Cities Fund programme. This is a major new programme of investment that aims to deliver transformational, new infrastructure and help create a step change in travel across the region, and is essential to reducing reliance on car travel and meeting the wider Leeds City Region commitment to become a net zero carbon city region by 2038.

The project will start in Summer 2022 and end by March 2023. 

The final programme is being developed and will take into account the other city centre projects to make sure that disruption is kept to a minimum. Some of the projects will start in spring 2021 and others will be constructed later in the programme to allow other city centre schemes to finish first. 

Your feedback will be used by the project team to develop detailed proposals for cycling improvements around Leeds City Centre. We want to understand how people are currently travelling, what barriers they may face to cycling and how this project can best enable people to get around by more sustainable methods such as cycling and walking.

All information you provide will only be used for analysis of this consultation and developing the proposed schemes. We will send updates only where you have requested them. You can read our Privacy Notice here.

The best way to report an issue with a road or cycle path is by contacting Leeds City Council directly via the following link: Reporting issues on roads for cyclists (leeds.gov.uk)  

To find out more about cycle routes, city centre bike storage, loans and maintenance and information about cycle to work schemes, follow the link provided to Leeds City Council’s website: Cycle routes (leeds.gov.uk)

The consultation period will take place from Wednesday 9 February until Tuesday 15 March 2022. You can have your say via www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/drl or email yourvoice@westyorks-ca.gov.uk. We are keen to hear from residents, businesses, and other road users.

Posters with information about the scheme and signposting people to the survey link will be provided to local community organisations and businesses along the route. Real time information screens at bus shelters will display information. Anyone who cannot access the survey online and needs to request an alternative format should contact MetroLine on 0113 245 7676.

We welcome the opinions and feedback of all members of the public. Whether you travel by public transport, walk, drive, or cycle, are a resident, business owner, or just travel through the area, your views, opinions, and insight are valuable to us to shape the project. Please share the link www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/drl with anyone you think would be interested in taking part. If you intend to submit a joint response on behalf of a group/organisation, please share the link with your colleagues/members so they can provide an individual response, should they wish to do so.

You can register to follow the progress of this scheme and have your say in any future consultations at www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/register. Updates on project progress will also be provided via the Combined Authority’s and local councils’ webpages and via press articles. You can also contact your Local Ward Councillors. We will publish a report on the consultation response on this website.

Feedback gathered from this public consultation will be considered and will inform the development of detailed proposals. 

A consultation outcome report will summarise the feedback received from this consultation and will be uploaded to this webpage.

Subject to the feedback from the public consultation, the scheme is expected to start in summer 2022 and be completed by mid-2023.

Providing an accessible, attractive and cleaner alternative to car journeys is at the heart of Leeds City Region’s Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) - a major new programme of transport infrastructure investment secured as part of the West Yorkshire devolution deal.

The programme will be funded through £317 million from the Department for Transport (DfT) plus local match funding of up to £140 million.  

In partnership with local authorities, the Combined Authority will deliver transformational infrastructure, which will dramatically improve people’s access to walking, cycling and public transport.

It is estimated TCF schemes will improve journeys by bus, rail, bike and on foot for up to 1.5 million people, take up to 12 million car trips per year off our roads and reduce CO2 emissions from car travel by up to 15,000 tonnes by 2036.  

Communities across Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield and York are set to benefit from the schemes, which include new or improved bus and rail stations, cycling and walking infrastructure, and new Park and Rides

The programme will deliver:

• two new Park & Rides
• one new rail station
• four new foot and cycle bridges
• six new or improved bus stations and interchange hubs
• new high quality cycle routes along six corridors
• bus priority along six key bus routes to create more reliable and faster bus journey times
• 800 new cycle parking spaces
• seven improvements to Rail Station Gateways
• new Real Time Information and improved passenger experience across the network.  

The Combined Authority is working in partnership with local authority colleagues from Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, North Yorkshire, Selby, Wakefield and York councils on the TCF programme.

It is estimated TCF will:

• improve journeys by bus, rail, bike and on foot for up to 1.5 million people
• take up to 12 million car trips per year off our roads by 2036
• make 33 million rail journeys easier by improvements to rail stations
• increase bus, rail, and walking and cycling trips by up to 6%, 4% and 7% respectively by 2036
• reduce CO2 emissions by up to 1.5% / 15,000 tonnes from car travel by 2036
• create more than 1,000 jobs and add up to £1 billion to the economy by 2036
• support connectivity to 650 housing sites and 220 employment sites

It is estimated TCF will:

• Improve journeys by bus, rail, bike and on foot for up to 1.5 million people
• Take up to 12 million car trips per year off our roads by 2036
• Make 33 million rail journeys easier by improvements to rail stations
• Increase bus, rail, and walking and cycling trips by up to 6%, 4% and 7% respectively by 2036
• Reduce CO2 emissions by up to 1.5% / 15,000 tonnes from car travel by 2036
• Create more than 1,000 jobs and add up to £1 billion to the economy by 2036
• Support connectivity to 650 housing sites and 220 employment sites

As part of the West Yorkshire devolution deal, the Combined Authority secured £317 million from the DfT’s TCF programme to deliver schemes in the low-cost scenario.

Since then, the Combined Authority has approved the use of future gain share funding, alongside other income streams, to deliver the high-cost scenario up to an additional £140 million.  

This additional funding will help us deliver more transport improvements, which will benefit communities across West Yorkshire. 

This work is more important than ever, not only as we look to address the health and economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in helping us achieve our aim of becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2038.

We need to reduce car trips by 21% and increase cycling trips by 2,000%, walking trips by 78%, bus strips by 39% and rail trips by 53% if we are to achieve our ambitious net zero targets in this time frame. 

The programme will connect people to economic and education opportunities through accessible, affordable, attractive and cleaner transport, boosting productivity and helping to create healthier and happier communities for the future.  

Building on the significant progress already made, we are working in partnership to make it easier for people to walk, cycle and use public transport.

Communities across Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield and York are set to benefit from the schemes, which include new or improved bus and rail stations, cycling and walking infrastructure, and new Park and Rides.

The programme is focused on connecting people in the communities of greatest economic need with job and training opportunities.  This will, in turn, help boost productivity, living standards and air quality.   

There are 22 packages of schemes, comprising of 35 individual projects, within the overall programme. Different schemes are at different stages, right through from the development of business cases and designs, to gearing up for public consultation, to some projects with work under construction. For example, the Halifax Bus Station redevelopment has already started on site, and construction has begun on some parts of the earlier phase of the Leeds City Centre Cycling Improvements scheme. Find out more information at www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/TCF

The schemes funded through the DfT need to be delivered by spring 2023, with schemes financed by local match funding being delivered beyond these timescales.

To date, there has been minimal impact of the programme as a result of COVID-19.  The majority of the projects are at the early stages of development and much of the work required can be carried out virtually.   As the schemes move to the next stage of delivery, we will continue to monitor the impact and identify any risks to delivery.  

We are also looking at best practice ways of delivering public consultations and engagement activity to ensure all members of the community get the opportunity to have their say on TCF schemes during COVID-19.  

The full implications of COVID-19 on the region, the economy and the transport system are still to be understood and the impact on the Combined Authority’s programmes and schemes to date has been mixed. 

We are working closely with our local authority partners at every level of our appraisal process to ensure delivery timescales have taken into account the current issues and that each scheme is stress tested to ensure its ongoing viability. 

In the wake of COVID-19 it is more important than ever to assess the changes to the landscapes of our towns and cities, and the impact on current and future planned schemes, particularly, but not exclusively, those relating to transport. 

The impact of COVID-19 in relation to travel behaviour into and around towns and cities is assessed as part of each scheme’s appraisal. 

While public transport patronage is currently lower than pre COVID-19 levels, it remains a priority to invest in public transport infrastructure to both help with economic recovery and to have the required infrastructure in place to respond to an increase in demand post-COVID-19. 

A range of options are being developed as part of each business case to determine the best scheme, which will include a range of options up to the high-cost scenario.

As part of the devolution deal, the Combined Authority secured £317 million from the DfT’s TCF to deliver schemes in the low-cost scenario.

Since then, the Combined Authority has approved the use of future gain share funding, alongside other income streams, to deliver the high-cost scenario up to £140 million. 

It will build on the significant investment already made through the Combined Authority’s other programmes, such as the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, Connecting Leeds and CityConnect.

Many of the TCF schemes provide enhancements or extensions to the projects being delivered through these programmes, helping to spread the benefits across a wider geography.  

The programme is focused on connecting people in the communities of greatest economic need with job and training opportunities.  This will, in turn, help boost productivity, living standards and air quality. 

For more information about the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund visit westyorks-ca.gov.uk/projects/west-yorkshire-plus-transport-fund 

For more information about Connecting Leeds visit leeds.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/connecting-leeds-and-transforming-travel 

For more information about CityConnect visit cyclecityconnect.co.uk 

Find out more information about the Transforming Cities Fund programme at westyorks-ca.gov.uk/TCF

Public consultation and engagement activities are scheduled to take place in 2021.  

Details of the TCF consultations can be found at www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk.  You can get in touch with the Combined Authority’s Consultation and Engagement team via YourVoice@westyorks-ca.gov.uk, 0113 245 7676 or Freepost CONSULTATION TEAM (WYCA).  Please note that, due to the COVID-19 crisis, the majority of the Combined Authority’s staff are working from home and there will therefore be significant delays in receiving any postal contributions. If you can, please contact the team using another method to ensure a quick response.

The bid was led by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in partnership with the 10 local authorities across the Leeds City Region. It was developed in two stages, with a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) submitted to the DfT in June 2019. The final bid was submitted to the DfT in November 2019. The bid documents can be found at westyorks-ca.gov.uk/TCF

The bid was developed in partnership with local authorities across the Leeds City Region, including Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, North Yorkshire, Selby, Wakefield and York. The bid was also co-developed with the DfT, which provided feedback on the plans as they emerged.  In line with other Mayoral Combined Authorities, we are required to feedback on the progress of the programme’s delivery.  

The programme is focused on connecting people in the communities of greatest economic need with job and training opportunities.  This will, in turn, help boost productivity, living standards and air quality. 

As part of the bidding process, the Combined Authority was asked to develop a series of schemes, which could be delivered under three different cost scenarios (low, core and high).   Each scheme needed to meet the Combined Authority’s priorities, as well as objectives set out by the DfT, such as reducing carbon emissions, and increasing capacity for commuters with better access to employment centres, especially from disadvantaged communities. 

Schemes put forward by local authorities were scored against the objectives before being reviewed as a programme.  Once agreement had been reached between local authority and Combined Authority officers, the programme was signed off by each of the leaders, as well as members of the Combined Authority’s Transport Committee.