Frequency Asked Questions (FAQs)

This project is being led by Wakefield Council. The improvements are funded by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority through the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund and the Combined Authority is supporting with facilitating this consultation. 

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has received funding through the Transforming Cities Fund programme. This is a major new Department for Transport programme of investment that aims to deliver transformational, new infrastructure and help create a step change in travel across the region. It 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. Click here for more information about the Transforming Cities Fund programme. 

By the time that the project has been completed, we would anticipate travel habits will have returned to pre-COVID levels. Increasing modes of ‘active travel’ like walking and cycling, and improving public transport facilities and connectivity will be an important part of our carbon neutral agenda, so having facilities fit for future demand is important.  We will, however, ensure that plans are resilient to take account of any future public health requirements

All interested parties and individuals can participate in the public consultation. Whether you live in, work in, or visit Wakefield city centre, your views, opinions and feedback are valuable to help shape the improvements. 

Please share the link https://www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/wakefield-city-centre with anyone you think would be interested in taking part in the public consultation. If you intend to submit a joint response on behalf of a group or organisation, please share the link with your colleagues or members so they can provide an individual response, if they want to.

If you have any other queries about the consultation, please email: yourvoice@westyorks-ca.gov.uk

We want to understand how people are currently travelling, what barriers they may face and how this project can best enable people to use active travel and public transport to get around. Your feedback will be analysed and used by the project team to develop detailed proposals for improvements in Wakefield city centre, which will be subject to another round of consultation later in 2021.

All information you provide will be anonymised and only used for analysis of the key findings and trends in this consultation. Being able to separate feedback by demographic data helps us understand how the proposals may affect different groups of people and further inform their development. You can read our Privacy Notice by clicking on this link (opens in a new tab).

This consultation is only about the proposals for this project. The best way to report an issue with a road or cycle path is by directly contacting the Wakefield Highways Maintenance team by clicking on this link (opens in a new tab).

The proposals as presented are at a very early stage of development. We want feedback from stakeholders and the public to help inform the next design stage. Further consultation will be required later in 2021 in order to ensure stakeholders are engaged in the process and their views are heard.  

In line with the latest Government guidelines relating to cycle infrastructure, we will look to segregate or protect cyclists from vehicles using physical measures such as kerbs wherever possible. However, the proposals are at a very early concept stage and there is significant survey work to be completed before it can be clearly stated where this segregation will occur. We will take on board comments on the proposed concepts and use this to inform the next design stage before offering the public and stakeholders the opportunity to comment again.  

No. The plans communicate where we think new cycle lanes are needed to encourage more cycling in this area, what we need to do to make bus journeys more reliable, and where interventions can be implemented to make the city a more liveable place. The proposals are at a very early concept stage. This means there are several more detailed design stages to complete before a contractor can be appointed. We will take on board comments on the proposed concepts and use this to inform the next design stage before offering the public and stakeholders the opportunity to comment again.

We currently expect construction to start in 2022 and finish in 2023. Once more detailed designs have been produced, we will appoint a contractor who will firm up the construction dates. We will work closely with the contractor to make sure that the impact on all users, local residents and businesses is minimised, but it is inevitable there will be some disruption. We will work closely with those most affected to ensure all works are done with the minimum possible impact.

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

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. 

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. 

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.  

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.  

Through the programme and building on the significant progress already made, we are working in partnership to transform our town and city centres for walking and cycling, improve bus reliability and journey times, and investing in our region to prepare for HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

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 between 30 and 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, with Halifax Bus Station redevelopment due to start on site in spring 2021.  

Find out more information at westyorks-ca.gov.uk/TCF 

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. 

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.

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 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.