Community sessions for people to ‘join in the conversation’ on transport in Leeds

A series of community open sessions are being held across Leeds to encourage people to ‘join in the conversation’ on the future of transport in the city.

The sessions are open to all to attend, and are aimed at raising awareness of the issues and finding out people’s views through the current survey which is running at www.leeds.gov.uk/transportconversation.

The survey, which has now been completed over 4,750 times, is the latest phase in the biggest-ever discussion on transport strategy held with residents, businesses and visitors in the city.

The public sessions are free to attend and will allow people to find out more and discuss their thoughts on transport with council officers. They will be held in two forms, with some taking place as part of broader community forum meetings and others as dedicated transport workshop sessions including a presentation.

The sessions will be taking place as follows:

• 12 October 6pm – Milford Sports Club, Beecroft Street, Kirkstall, LS5 3AS (workshop)
• 12 October 6pm – Barnbow Inn Meeting Room, Austhorpe Road, LS15 8EH (forum)
• 13 October 6pm – Christ Church Temple Newsam, Chapel Street, Halton, LS15 7RW (forum)
• 13 October 7.30pm – Shadwell Independent Library, 99 Main Street, Shadwell, LS17 8HL (workshop)
• 18 October 6pm – Fieldhead Carr Community Centre, Naburn Approach, Whinmoor, LS14 2EG (forum)
• 20 October 5pm – Reginald Centre, 263 Chapeltown Road, LS7 3EX (workshop)
• 1 November 6pm – Civic Hall, LS1 1UR (workshop)
• 3 November 5pm – Morley Town Hall, Alexandra Hall, LS27 9DY (workshop)

Details of a further workshop session to be held in the outer north west (8 November) and a forum in Swarcliffe (14 November) are currently being finalised. In addition, every household in the city is to receive a postcard to further encourage people to join the conversation.

The conversation began following the government’s decision to turn down the proposed New Generation Transport (NGT) scheme for Leeds in May, but with £173.5million of funding for the scheme being retained to invest in public transport in the city.

The council hosted a transport summit in June attended by leading transport bodies and key stakeholders, followed by the survey which has been running since the start of August and has now been extended to November 11.

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said:

“We hope as many people as possible will be able to attend these open community sessions and join in with the thousands of people who have already joined the conversation on the future direction of transport in Leeds.

“We have been very pleased with the numbers who have taken part in the survey so far but we need to hear what everyone thinks to help us get this right for the future of our city.”

The survey asks for views and information on how people currently use the transport network in Leeds, and how they view the experience in terms of comfort, value for money and the time involved in making journeys. It also asks what priorities should be in terms of future investment in the network as well as views on options such as the possible removal of cars from parts of the city centre in order to create more public spaces and improve air quality. The conversation will continue well into next year, helping to guide the development of a long-term transport strategy for Leeds and discussions with the government about the £173.5m funding and any other possible additional future funding streams.

The survey can be accessed online in all council libraries and one-stop centres, while views can also be sent on email to Leedstransport@leeds.gov.uk. Background information including the current vision for transport in Leeds can be seen via the webpages at www.leeds.gov.uk/transportconversation while the conversation is also taking place online using the twitter hashtag #leedstransport and an animation highlighting the key issues can be seen at https://youtu.be/_vWX3b3AGBc

Notes to editors:

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) is currently consulting on its regional Transport Strategy and Bus Strategy. For more information visit www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/transport/

Leeds City Council has also launched a three-month public consultation on framework proposals for the development of South Bank Leeds. To take part visit https://southbankleeds.co.uk/shapeyourcity

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact:

Roger Boyde

Leeds City Council communications,

Tel: 0113 247 5472

Email: roger.boyde@leeds.gov.uk