Road, Rail & Access Issues

[Aviador]

@mode1

So you have a solution to something that's not a problem. What's the difference between stepping off a train to get on a Funicular when you can step off a train to get on a bus.

If you drive to the airport and park in the long stay because you think it saves you time, you're still probably going to require a bus to the terminal building. It's no different than getting off a train and taking a bus to the front of the terminal.

Crucially for most people it's all about the total time it takes to carry out the totally journey. If you can get to the airport on a bus in 45mins with no change of transport is that going to be more attractive than a 12 minute train and a two minute bus ride?

 

[Aviador]

This is how re-opening the Harrogate - Northallerton line could link 10 cities to Leeds Bradford Airport

A retired railway worker has explained how re-opening a stretch of line in Yorkshire axed by Beeching in the 1960s could link 10 towns and cities to Leeds Bradford Airport.

www.yorkshirepost.co.uk

 

[Heathrowflyer]

Ok ...this must beat it all...picking up a friend from the train station. Turned engine on briefly to clear condensation on windows and a man knocked on my car window stating I was being anti social and had I heard of climate change.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Ok ...this must beat it all...picking up a friend from the train station. Turned engine on briefly to clear condensation on windows and a man knocked on my car window stating I was being anti social and had I heard of climate change.

You should have told him that his hot air contributed more to climate change than your idling engine.

 

[Len Fish]

This is how re-opening the Harrogate - Northallerton line could link 10 cities to Leeds Bradford Airport

A retired railway worker has explained how re-opening a stretch of line in Yorkshire axed by Beeching in the 1960s could link 10 towns and cities to Leeds Bradford Airport.

www.yorkshirepost.co.uk

I suspect many of these suggestions to re-open closed lines would fail the cost/benefit test, although there are some that would be useful and well used commuter routes in areas where the population and housing has increased since the Beeching era. It makes me angry when I think how the money being spent on HS2 could be much better used in improving connectivity within those regions in the North and elsewhere that have been neglected by central government for decades.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

My personal impression is when Manchester airport go to the council with a suggestion (such as a direct rail link) their first thought is 'how can we help the airport achieve their goal' whereas Leeds councils thought is 'how can we get out of this (spending)'

 

[Jerry]

My personal impression is when Manchester airport go to the council with a suggestion (such as a direct rail link) their first thought is 'how can we help the airport achieve their goal' whereas Leeds councils thought is 'how can we get out of this (spending)'

Well it helps when that council is your owner!

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Same issue, manchester council saw the potential and invested whereas Leeds counvil divested by selling up.

 

[White Heather]

To be fair to Leeds Council, so did Bradford Council. They both owned the same amount of LBA, so the decision wasn't just taken by Leeds. Had Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale objected, then the airport would still be in council hands. If it were though, we wouldn't have a prayer of a £150m terminal development.

 

[Aviador]

The late councillor Denise Atkinson once said to me if there had been a way to justify the spending that was required to bring the airport up to shape the council would have done so but it was too big an ask for the council to take on.

 

[Heathrowflyer]

MAN is owned by a consortium of council's in the north west too and they all managed to agree and pull it off...and wow, are they reaping the benefits now. In fairness the quality of council teams and executive is high in MAN. It wasnt just about making the right decisions about the airport, they also spent wisely on a host of things including the tram system...while Leeds councillirs and executive fussed and equivicated.

 

[Heathrowflyer]

.....just thinking about it. Our biggest investment currently in Leeds in terms of infrastructure is creating cycle lanes on the outer ring road and in Leeds city centre. Costing millions but benefits just the minority of the community who cycle.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

The rapidly increasing minority.

 

[Aviador]

The rapidly increasing minority.

I guess you could say they are rapidly increasing considering I used to see maybe one or two cyclists a day, now I see three or four, so that would be a 50% increase. Well worth the car tax payers money.

 

[jw2k]

Ok ...this must beat it all...picking up a friend from the train station. Turned engine on briefly to clear condensation on windows and a man knocked on my car window stating I was being anti social and had I heard of climate change.

Even just reading that is making my blood boil...! Who the hell does he think he is? Shocking that these nutters think they've got the right to go around doing that!

 

[leedslad]

Why is everyone (desktop keyboard experts) so certain the gradient and cost of digging a cutting are still prohibitive.

The terminal is now in a completely different location to original study. Firstly the length of cutting required is much shorter (cheaper). Secondly the land is much lower (cheaper and less gradient).

I don't mind if a new study is undertaken and proves no case but why isn't everyone wanting the airport to push the council to reinvestigate?

We are talking about a 3/4 mile cutting. Drive along any motorway and you'll drive through longer cuttings. Most of our Victorian railway system is through cuttings.

Also don't make the mistake of valuing each passenger using the train equally... A Yorkshire person going to Spain once a year to spend money abroad far less valuable than a business person or tourist using it and boosting our economy.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Even just reading that is making my blood boil...! Who the hell does he think he is? Shocking that these nutters think they've got the right to go around doing that!

I agree its down to personal choice, but idling engines cause a lot of pollution (compare to pollution created at driving speeds) so its really not desirable. My wife and I don't do it but I cant see me ticking anyone off for not doing so. I might politely bring it to their attention though if I knew the person well.

 

[Aviador]

desktop keyboard experts

Isn't that all you are?

You still haven't answered my question about how you make a direct route viable?

Of course a direct route is possible, but as has already been stated, it would cost too much.

 

[leedslad]

So you can still have the Park and Ride income... There's just a greater upfront cost?

Therefore a longer payback period but with benefit of likely more airport users (since less faff), and harder to quantify benefits like more likelihood of inward investment, easier journeys for tourists, less carbon emissions via better patronage, attracting more airlinesetc.

So equally if not more viable from day to day operations with longer payback period... Bear in mind once built it will serve communities for over a century so worth a slightly longer payback.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

My business is in Keighley....Bfd Council built a cycle lane on Royd Ings Ave complete with plastic bollards etc at at cost of £97,000.00...within 8 months it was all put back to normal....nobody has a bike in Keighley and if you do it will be nicked within 10 mins! All the Polish delivery drivers were knocking the bollards down.

I think the answer to that problem was proper law enforcement, I dont see why the cycle lanes were removed just because policing wasnt up to scratch. Maybe a need for cameras. Not sure it was just Polish drivers by the way!