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Travellers and businesses across
Yorkshire and the Humber region will benefit from a ten-year programme of
transport improvements to tackle congestion, improve safety and invest in
public transport, the Government announced today when it responded to
regional advice about the transport priorities for the region.
In July last year the Government asked the Regional Assembly, the Regional
Development Agency and other partners for its advice on transport priorities
for the £927 million it has provisionally allocated for transport investment
in the region up to 2015/16.
The Government's response broadly accepts the region's advice and means that
the Government plans to fund 31 transport schemes in Yorkshire and the
Humber over this period.
The programme includes:
5 new schemes given approval for the first time today:
o £29.3m Integrated Transport Scheme that includes a new relief road and a
park and ride scheme in Beverley
o £4.7m Bridlington Integrated Transport Scheme that includes a new park and
ride scheme and road improvements in Bridlington
o £8.1m Waverley Link Road that will provide improved access to development
sites in the South Yorkshire Technology Corridor area.
o £15m scheme to strengthen nine major bridges and retaining walls in
Kirklees improving access to industrial areas and preventing lengthy
diversions through residential areas.
o £20m scheme to install a priority bus corridor along the A65 approach to
Leeds to improve journey times and reliability for users.
Final go-ahead for the Yorcard smartcard pilot in South Yorkshire which will
mean that smartcards on bus and rail journeys will be enjoyed by travellers
on selected routes in South Yorkshire from Spring 2007.
These schemes are in addition to eight schemes already underway, ten which
are already approved and currently in development and, as identified by the
region, a further seven schemes that the Government will consider for
approval in the future, once further work has been satisfactorily completed.
Gillian Merron Transport Minister said:
"The Government is investing record amounts in transport putting right
decades of underinvestment. This money is delivering real improvements but
we have been clear - lasting progress will only be made by sustained
investment.
By giving regions a long term funding guideline and involving them in the
decision making process, we have for the first time given them a bigger say
in which transport schemes are delivered locally. Having considered their
advice, I'm pleased we have been able to broadly accept it."
In responding to the regional advice, the Government is inviting South
Yorkshire PTE to work with the Department on alternatives to their proposed
Supertram extensions, as consideration so far suggests that the tram
extensions are unlikely to be the best solution and deliver value for money.
The Schemes in Detail
The Waverley Link Road, Rotherham (Gross
cost £8.130m, DfT contribution of £8.130m)
The scheme is a proposed 1.9km, 2-lane single carriageway road including
improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. It will provide improved
access to development sites in the South Yorkshire Technology Corridor area
and help to relieve the local community of the affects of traffic serving
the development sites.
Beverley Integrated Transport Plan, East Riding of Yorkshire (Gross cost
£29.370m, DfT contribution £24.847m)
The scheme involves the construction of a new Southern Relief Road to the
south of Beverley and a Park & Ride facility to link the Relief Road
directly to the railway station and town centre via a high quality, frequent
and affordable bus link. The scheme will alleviate traffic congestion in the
town centre, improve access within Beverley, allow improvements to be made
to the town centre environment and contribute to the economy of the town.
Complementary measures will include improvements to the management of car
parking in the town centre.
Bridlington Integrated Transport Plan, East Riding of Yorkshire (Gross
cost £4.708m, DfT contribution £4.708m)
The scheme will provide a new Park & Ride site to the South of Bridlington,
along with highway improvements in the town to prioritise the P&R bus
service. The scheme is designed to to alleviate the congestion problems that
adversely affect Bridlington during the peak summer months, reduce traffic
in the town centre and improve accessibility for the resident population.
This transport improvement is one of a series of measures planned as part of
the Bridlington Regeneration Strategy, including urban realm improvements
and a new marina.
A65 Kirkstall Road Quality Bus Corridor, Metro (Gross cost £20.700m, DfT
contribution £20.700m)
The scheme will consist of 24 hour bus lanes along a 3.5km stretch of the
A65 stretching from Kirkstall Bridge to the Leeds Inner Ring Roads,
including road widening, junction improvements and Urban Traffic Control
measures to give greater priority for buses, improving journey times and
reliability. An earlier version of this scheme was previously approved but
did not go forward.
Kirklees Highways Strengthening and Bridge Maintenance Kirklees (Gross
cost £15.200m, DfT contribution £15.200m)
The scheme will strengthen nine major bridges and 3.5 km of retaining walls.
The bridges are at key locations on feeder routes from the primary route
network to industrial and regeneration areas. They take high volumes of
heavy goods vehicles and all of them need to be able to accommodate 40 tonne
vehicles. However, several of the bridges already have weight restrictions
and traffic diversions which are causing environmental and congestion
problems. Carrying out this work as a unified package over three years will
allow access to industrial and regeneration areas to be enhanced and will
prevent lengthy diversions through residential areas and congestion.
The following scheme is today being granted Full Approval:-
Yorcard smartcard pilot, South Yorkshire PTE (Gross cost £8.600m. DfT
contribution £4.000m)
This scheme will pilot the use of smartcards on bus and rail journeys in
South Yorkshire. The smartcard system will operate along three key bus
routes in Sheffield and on rail journeys between Sheffield and Doncaster.
The pilot will provide valuable information on the potential of smartcard
systems to increase the attractiveness of public transport, speed up journey
times, reduce fraud and improve administrative efficiency. Yorcard offers
the first opportunity to see smartcards on deregulated bus and rail services
for commercial pay as you go style products and concessionary tickets. To
date smartcard schemes have mainly been only on bus networks and typically
concentrate on concessionary travel.
Schemes for
funding within the next three years
Schemes Underway
- A63 Melton Grade Separated
Junction (Highways Agency)
- A66 Greta Bridge to Stephen Bank
Improvement (Highways Agency)
- A66 Carkin Moor to Scotch Corner
Improvement (Highways Agency)
- Leeds Inner Ring Road Stage 7
(Leeds)
- MyBus (Metro)
- Sheffield Northern Inner Relief
Road Stages II and III (Sheffield)
- Barnsley Interchange (Barnsley/SYPTE)
- Sheffield Sheaf Square
(Sheffield)
Approved Schemes not
Yet Underway
- East Leeds Link Road (Leeds)
- A165 Reighton Bypass (North
Yorkshire)
- Yorcard Pilot (SYPTE)
- Doncaster A638 QBC (Doncaster/SYPTE)
- A631 West Bawtry Road Improvement
(Rotherham)
- Scarborough Integrated Transport
Scheme (North Yorkshire)
- Glasshoughton Coalfields Link
Road (Wakefield)
- A57 Improvment - M1 Junction 31to
Todwick Crossroads (Rotherham)
- Castleford Integrated Transport
Scheme (Metro)
- Hemsworth to A1 Link Road
(Wakefield)
- Cudworth and West Green Bypass
(Barnsley)
- A65 Kirkstall Road QBC
(Metro/Leeds)
- Kirklees Highways Strengthening
and Bridge Maintenance (Kirklees)
- Beverley Integrated Transport
Scheme (East Riding)
-
Bridlington Integrated
Transport Scheme (East Riding)
In the pipeline for after 2010
Approved
- Waverley Link Road (Rotherham)
Awaiting Approval
Finningley and Rossington
Regeneration Route Scheme (Doncaster)
Leeds Bus Rapid Transit (proposals yet to be made)
Sheffield Public Transport (SYPTE) (possible alternative proposals to
South Yorkshire Supertram)
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