Transport network 'lags' behind

A lack of investment and poor planning has left Yorkshire's transport network lagging behind, experts have revealed.

A report by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) said Yorkshire and Humber suffered from the lowest transport funding of any UK region.

A lack of long-term, planning has stalled the progress of schemes including the remodelling of Leeds train station, said the ICE.

It found Sheffield and Bradford needed more than one road to the motorway.

The report found £200 is spent per capita on transport in Yorkshire and Humber, compared with a £600 average in the south.

"The highway links between these two areas have been in need of improvements for 20 years"
Andrew McKluskey, National Transport Board

David Tattersall from the ICE said: "Yorkshire and Humber deserve a transport network that supports and encourages the regional economy and improves quality of life.

"Securing funding, and more of it, needed to deliver much needed upgrades to the transport links between major towns and cities."

The survey, which took four months to collate, suggested a 30-year-transport plan, backed by the government and implemented at a local level, was vital.

Andrew McKluskey, a member of the National Transport Board which contributed to the study, said the ICE praised the improvements being carried out on the rail network in Hull and Immingham between the the Humber ports.

However, Mr McKluskey said: "It was noted that the highway links between these two areas have been in need of improvements for 20 years.

"We see expansion in transport being closely linked to economic growth."

'Diversity of transport'

Meanwhile the "stop-start regime" was criticised for hindering the region's plans for transport expansion.

"Leeds super tram is a perfect example," said Mr McKluskey. "A lot of money and resources went into that scheme but in the end it did not happen."

Another issue tackled in the report is the amount of cars on the regions roads. It said trains should have more carriages to give "more diversity of transport."

On the roads suggested, the M62 corridor over the Pennines, which runs between Leeds and Manchester, should be expanded by adding another lane, they said.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said more money was being spent on transport in the region than ever before.

He said: "Good local transport is vital. This is why last November we announced £469m over the next three years for local authorities in the region to invest in highway maintenance and smaller local schemes.

"In total, more than £1.2bn was dedicated to transport in Yorkshire and the Humber region last year - a rise of almost 40% on spending over the last five years."

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