FAQs

A shared transport hub brings together shared transport with public transport and facilities to support active travel – walking and cycling - in spaces designed to improve the public realm for all.

Also known as mobility hubs, they provide a range of sustainable transport services and improved passenger information in one place, giving people easier access to more travel options.

By making more environmentally-friendly travel easier and more convenient, hubs can increase accessibility and reduce reliance on cars. They encourage more shorter journeys – of around two miles or less – to be made by more sustainable modes of transport, such as walking or cycling, helping to reduce congestion and improve air quality.

Sustainable travel means using ways to get around that don’t harm the Earth, people, or our economy, now and in the future. It includes ways of moving like walking, cycling, or using a clean energy vehicle, such as a shared electric car provided by a car club.

The size of a hub and the features on offer vary depending on the location, but could include links to public transport, shared transport - such as bike hire and car clubs - and bike storage, alongside travel information.

The proposal in Otley would include a secure cycle hangar, as well as covered Sheffield stands for further cycle parking. It would also include a bike repair stand, shared e-bikes and a shared e-cargo bike. In addition, there would be a space for an electric car club vehicle, and a digital travel information post providing real time updates on services at Otley Bus Station and Menston Rail Station.

Shared transport hubs provide easier access in convenient locations, to affordable and more environmentally friendly ways to travel. By providing more options, they can encourage more shorter journeys to be made by more sustainable modes of transport, such as walking or cycling. In this way, they help to reduce congestion, improve air quality and health, and make it easier to get around. They also help to reduce reliance on privately-owned vehicles.

No, shared transport hubs are designed to cater to a variety of transport modes. They provide amenities for people walking and cycling, or looking to use a shared car, as well as those making connections from the bus or train.

Yes, one of the main goals of shared transport hubs is to promote sustainable transport options, reduce reliance on individual car ownership, and encourage the use of public transport and alternative ways to travel.

The proposed Otley Shared Transport Hub is part of a wider pilot scheme across West Yorkshire. If built, we will explore who is using each hub and in what way, to inform and refine future development across the region.

We believe the hub in Otley would be most useful for local residents who might otherwise use a car to instead cycle short distances around the town, for example to local amenities and services such as the hospital. We understand there are some journeys and situations where using a car can be the more practical option, for example with very young children or carrying very heavy shopping. An e-car club provides an option for those who need a car to have access to one, without the expense of owning and running a vehicle.

Provision of an e-cargo bike and e-bikes would make cycling more accessible for those who are carrying goods or may have mobility issues that make using a traditional cycle difficult. Shared e-bikes can help people ride further and faster than they would be able to on a traditional bicycle, making a greater range of journeys possible and helping with obstacles such as hills.

In addition, secure cycle parking would benefit people looking to visit the town on bike, as well as residents wishing to cycle to the bus station as part of a longer journey.

The proposed scheme is located directly opposite Otley Bus Station. It would also include a digital travel information post containing real time information on the next buses due, and also train times at Menston Rail Station.

Shared transport hubs contribute to sustainable urban or town development by offering different options so that people can leave their car at home for shorter journeys, helping to reduce congestion and our impact on the environment, improving air quality and creating a more connected and accessible environment.

There is also evidence that when people walk or cycle to local shops they spend more money, supporting local businesses and growing the economy.  

Shared transport hubs are a relatively new concept, and we are looking at locations across West Yorkshire where people could benefit – Otley is one of the locations being considered.

In Otley, where the town council is already proactive in encouraging more sustainable travel, there are strong foundations to build on in exploring this new facility. Community group Otley 2030 aims to make Otley a carbon-zero, sustainable and fair town by the 2030s. The town council has already taken action toward encouraging sustainable travel, including a successful bid for funding for e-cargo bikes from the combined authority, and e-bikes that are hired out on a two-week trial basis.

No – in the initial consultation in January this year we suggested locations within existing car parks that would have resulted in the loss of two or three parking spaces. Respondents told us parking was important to the town. As a result we have developed a proposal that doesn’t result in the loss of any parking while still making it easier for people to cycle.

Following the consultation, we will be working on a detailed design taking into account feedback received.

Construction of the scheme is projected to commence in winter 2025/26.

The scheme is reviewed through sequenced decision gateways in our Assurance Process . There are four business case decision points within this assurance process. At each stage, recommendations on the scheme are made by an officer-based appraisal team to the relevant committee(s) of elected members. So far, the scheme has currently passed through three of the four decision points.

Funding for the scheme has been secured through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) which we administer to allow Leeds City Council to start developing and promoting the site proposed. This has allowed us to undertake initial studies and business case development, optioneering and outline designing. This project has secured Combined Authority approval at the Strategic Outline Case stage and is currently working towards Full Business Case.

The consultation period will take place from 20 August until 22 September 2024. Members of the public can have their say via www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/OtleyHub or email yourvoice@westyorks-ca.gov.uk. We are keen to hear from residents, businesses, and anyone travelling in this area.

Posters and leaflets will be distributed in Otley, with members of the project team attending drop-in events at Otley Market Place and Otley Community Hub and Library. Anyone who cannot access the survey online and needs to request an alternative format can contact MetroLine on 0113 245 7676. 

 Paper copies will also be made available at Otley Community Hub and Library and at Otley Core. These can be returned to FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM WYCA with no stamp required.

We welcome opinions and feedback from 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 insights are valuable to us to shape the project. Please share the link www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/OtleyHub 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 project and have your say in any future consultations at www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/OtleyHub. Updates on project progress will also be provided via the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Leeds City Council, and Otley Town Council 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. 

 Residents and businesses likely to be affected by any future construction works would be contacted directly closer to the time of works starting.

The scheme is funded by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority through the Department for Transport’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS).

The £830 million City Regional Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) is aimed at providing an integrated and inclusive transport network and was made possible thanks to the West Yorkshire Mayoral devolution deal. This work will build on the significant investment already being made in making it easier for people to walk, cycle and use public transport around West Yorkshire.

The Combined Authority is working in partnership to deliver schemes with local authority colleagues in Wakefield, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, and Leeds.

You can read more about the CRSTS here: www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/projects/city-regional-sustainable-transport-settlement-crsts-and-levelling-up-fund/

The funding awarded for CRSTS schemes by the Department for Transport is capital funding and can only be spent on the schemes for which it was awarded within the CRSTS bid. This means CRSTS funding cannot be reallocated to be spent elsewhere.

The programme is being delivered in phases. It is expected that all projects will be completed by the end of March 2027.

It will build on the significant investment already made through the Combined Authority’s other programmes, such as the Transforming Cities Fund, the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, and Levelling Up Fund.

Details of the CRSTS consultations, along with consultations on many other schemes, can be found at www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk, where you can register to hear directly about new consultations in your area.

 You can also get in touch with the Combined Authority’s Communities, Consultation and Engagement team by emailing yourvoice@westyorksca-gov.uk, by calling MetroLine on 0113 245 7676, or by writing to FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM WYCA.