Road, Rail & Access Issues

[Aviador]

Access improved at Leeds Bradford

The first phase of a £2 million redevelopment giving better access by bus and car has been completed at Leeds Bradford airport.

Access has been improved to the redesigned bus terminus which provides frequent bus services from the airport to Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate and York.

A new drop off and pick up zone for people arriving at the airport by car has also opened. Other developments include improved pedestrian walkways, real-time information screens and a more spacious forecourt layout, all of which make it easier than ever to fly to and from Leeds Bradford says the airport.

“We are delighted with our passengers’ feedback to the recent forecourt improvements as we strive to deliver improved customer service at the airport,” says Leeds Bradford International Airport commercial and aviation development director, Tony Hallwood.

“With further forecourt work due to be completed by April we are on target to deliver an increasingly high standard of facilities that our passengers deserve,” Hallwood continues.

The first phase of work at the airport is now being followed by other enhancements over the winter period as the airport gets ready for a busy summer season. Work is already underway on extending the pick up and drop off zones at the airport forecourt.

At the short stay airport car park new entrance and exit locations will be constructed that are designed to provide smoother access to the passenger terminal.

The improvements taking place at Leeds Bradford are the first stages of a planned £28 million investment in the airport terminal intended to provide the region with an airport it can be proud of.

Thomas Cook announced last week that it would be introducing new flights to Tunisia from Leeds Bradford this summer.

“Tunisia is a vibrant and exciting destination for our discerning customers, offering Yorkshire holidaymakers the chance to experience a unique destination which as a non-Euro country also offers excellent value for money,” commented LBIA marketing and business development manager, Sally Ramsey.

Source

 

[rmac]

At Palma airport there is an elevated walkway from the multistorey car park to the terminal building and a moving walkway at ground level which provides shelter from the rain and sun. Coaches taxis and cars can still pass through, crossing points are provided for passengers with trolleys etc and something similar would have been nice at Leeds, especially on days of rain and wind, and maybe someday connecting into a future multistorey car park. Still it is good to see progress being made at Leeds.

 

[Aviador]

It would be really good to see something like that at LBA but I don't think any kind of walkway as such is planned from the car park and drop off zones to the terminal.

 

[lbaspotter]

Well i did'nt know where to put this. but here's some very important information for all road users of the A658 Harrogate road.

Harrogate Road A658 (Closed for 2 weeks from February 2nd)

To all Road users.

From Monday 2nd February 2009, for up to two weeks, the (A658) will be closed between Pool Bridge and Hunter's Inn to allow road works to take place. The closure will apply daily between 19:00hrs and 06:00hrs with all traffic been diverted between these times

Whilst the road is closed the preferred Diversion route will be via the A61 Harrogate Road, A659 Otley Road and Arthington.

Bus services 767 Airport Express to Harrogate and the York Airlink, 787 service to York will be affected. It is advised to allow extra time for your journey as Traffic could build up at the A61/A659 Junction at Harewood.

 

[Aviador]

The new airport Long Stay Entry and Exit barriers are expected be opened next Monday. Final preparations including new road markings are being put in place. I just hope that people will manage to find the new car park because the council signage on the main drag isn't up to much.

 

[Aviador]

Concerns remain - in spite of good connections

One of Yorkshire and Humber's undoubted selling points is its excellent transport infrastructure, both for passengers and freight.

The region's two main motorways - the M1 and M62 - are far less congested than those in more overstretched parts of the UK. Much of the region also enjoys excellent rail links. Leeds is linked to London twice an hour on weekdays with best journey times of only 2hrs 8mins, while the fastest journeys from York take only 1hr 44mins.

The vast Humber ports complex - the UK's busiest port by weight of cargo - provides excellent connections for goods movements to and from continental Europe. The range of destinations served from Leeds Bradford International Airport continues to improve, as do its facilities.

There remain concerns, nevertheless. Sheffield's train service to London is less frequent and slower than those of other cities in the region. Congestion is starting to be a problem at key points on the trunk roads. Public transport access to Leeds Bradford airport is difficult, while work is also needed to improve the roads leading to the Port of Hull.

Above all, the region tends to look nervously across the Pennines at the improving transport links of Greater Manchester, its competitor for inward investment, and want something just as good. Since December, the capital of north-west England has enjoyed a best rail journey time to London of 1hr 58mins, thanks to the £9bn refurbishment of the London to Glasgow west coast main line, of which the London-Manchester route is part. It also now enjoys three trains per hour each way on weekdays.

Manchester has a successful tram system, Metrolink, while Leeds has failed to persuade the government to fund its planned Supertram light rail system. Manchester Airport, the UK's third-busiest, continues to draw many of Leeds-Bradford's local passengers away with its greater flight frequency and range of destinations.

The question is how much further funding the region can expect to attract for its already good transport network, and where most improvement is needed.

Jonathan Brown, senior transport manager at Yorkshire Forward, the inward investment agency, accepts the region is well connected compared with some others.

But he adds: "We are quite envious of the west coast main line. There's starting to be differentiation in the transport provision that the rail system provides [to Manchester and to Leeds]."

The local business community is pleased, however, that the Department for Transport is now considering funding electrification of the London-Sheffield Midland main line, likely to improve service on one of the region's weakest routes.

"Sheffield has suffered from a lack of investment in the Midland Main Line," says Nigel Foster, a Leeds-based director of Ove Arup, the consulting engineers.

Yet, while such relatively small-scale decisions excite little controversy, airport provision raises more complex questions about whether Yorkshire and Humber should seek to concentrate activity within its boundaries or rely on the bigger, better facilities the wider north of England can support.

Mr Brown believes a key reason to improve trans-Pennine links is to ensure better access to Manchester Airport, the UK's third-busiest, which is always likely to enjoy better flight frequencies and a wider range of destinations than Leeds-Bradford.

Tony Hallwood, managing director of Leeds Bradford airport, insists his airport should be the natural choice to handle the region's traffic, however.

"In terms of accessibility, we're the closest airport to the largest city region that sits out of the south-east," he says. "So we have a huge pool of passengers, of potential and actual passengers."

At present, 35m people annually travel from the Leeds Bradford catchment area to use Manchester airport. Investments by Bridgepoint, the private equity firm that bought Leeds Bradford airport in 2007, should improve the situation, however. The investments include a £28m new terminal building.

"With investment, we're saying we will stop and reverse that leakage," Mr Hallwood says of the travel to Manchester.

Yet improvements to the region's infrastructure look likely in the foreseeable future to remain such incremental steps. Yorkshire and the Humber look unlikely for many decades, for example, to benefit from new, dedicated high-speed rail lines.

On the same day it announced the potential Midland main line electrification, the Department for Transport launched a new company, High Speed 2, to explore the potential to build a dedicated high-speed rail line, north from London.

The justification for the initial line will therefore probably be to relieve the exhaustion of capacity on the southern end of the west coast main line, with the first section probably linking London and Birmingham, before being extended on to Manchester.

As with other transport investment questions, the Yorkshire and Humber region suffers from its already good record. So many travellers between the region and London already use the train that there are few extra passengers to justify the vast investment required to build a new line. Mr Brown nevertheless believes it is vital for the Yorkshire economy that his region should eventually have a dedicated fast link to London and a new, high-speed trans-Pennine link, even if London to Manchester comes first.

"In the longer term, we need to see that as the first phase of a network," he says

Source

 

[Aviador]

The new airport Long Stay Entry and Exit barriers are expected be opened next Monday. Final preparations including new road markings are being put in place. I just hope that people will manage to find the new car park because the council signage on the main drag isn't up to much.

I think the snow has delayed the opening of the new entrance to the long stay car park which was due to open on Monday just gone. All the signage is now in place, the car park itself has had some additional work done to it to provide a new disabled parking area nearest to the bus stop and entrance.

 

[Aviador]

The opening has been rescheduled to next Monday subject the weather. They want it to go as smoothly as possible.

 

[Aviador]

I notice that the Leeds and Bradford bus stands have had new screens installed giving automatic updates and now due times.

 

[White Heather]

Aviador, do you know if the short stay and long stay car parks (down below the aircraft stands) are going to be resurfaced and re-marked. I was in there for the first time when attending the consultative committee, and must admit I found the surface to be generally in a pretty rough state and the signage (what there was) a little confusing. The whole area could do with some new tarmac, markings and signs.

Talking of signs, since I was attending the committee, I was given a free car park pass and told to put the pass in the machine after the parking ticket to get out free. It was a freezing day and having walked all the way down to the short stay car park, I found a sign telling me to put my ticket in the machine in the airport terminal, so walked all the way back into the terminal to do so, only to then find out that if you have a free parking ticket, the payment machine doesn't take them and you put them both in the car park exit barrier! So I had to walk back to the car park again!! All rather confusing. OK I am ever so slightly blonde, but it might help if the sign that tells people to pay in the terminal clarified that this does not include those with free parking permit tickets who should simply put them in the exit barrier. At least I know next time. :blush:

 

[Aviador]

As I understand it, when the new long stay entrance and exit opens next week (if all goes to plan ), then the old long stay entrance will close. I would imagine that nothing can be done untill the short stay 1 car park work is complete. Once the work on short stay 1 is complete then that car park can be closed to carry out the necesary work to resurface and reconfigure.

 

[Aviador]

Well I don't know what they are playing at. I went past the airport at around 1'o'clock this afternoon. Some of the new signage on White Hose Lane was suggesting that the new car park was open as it was pointing to the new car park, yet others were still covered up. Talk about confusing for passengers. I'm not impressed.

 

[Aviador]

Things are going from bad to worse. The York Airlink service is to be scrapped by First of York. :sad:

 

[Aviador]

Passengers’ anger at First bus cuts

THE backlash against plans to axe a number of evening bus services and reduce timetables in York has gathered pace with the launch of a fight to scrap the plans.

The Fares Fair campaign, led by Coun James Alexander, also calls for a freeze in ticket prices until 2011.

First York announced last week that was being forced to implement a number of changes which it put down to a decline in the number of customers using its services.

These included the withdrawal of evening service No 10 from Stamford Bridge to Poppleton and the York/Haxby section of service No 12, after 7.30pm.

Also to be axed is the evening service No 13, which runs from Copmanthorpe to Monks Cross, and the York Airlink service to Leeds-Bradford International Airport, which is described as “not commercially viable.”

Coun Alexander said: “We are in the middle of a global credit crisis and First York has just proposed cutting further bus services after putting up fares eight times in the last six years. I assume service cuts will mean laying off staff.”

He said: “I am also fully aware that if you live on the outskirts of York and you are not wealthy enough to own a car or you are too young to drive, that you rely on these bus services to get to and from town, quite often to get to and from work.

“I have contacted First and explained that I believe fares in York need to be frozen for the next two years to help keep down the outgoings of those travelling to work and that a review should occur to look at service provision on the outskirts of York.”

Coun Alexander, the prospective Labour parliamentary candidate for York Outer said First now needed someone to “stand up to them.”

His campaign has been applauded by resident affected by the cuts.

Copmanthorpe resident Roger Bastin said: “An affordable, integrated public transport system is essential to the future prosperity and survival of York. And it must be a system that does not exclude the surrounding villages.”

Those wanting more information on Coun Alexander’s campaign can visit www.yorkfaresfair.info

Source

Well it seems I'm not the only one thinking that First were charging too much for the service.

From what I gather, First were charging almost the same as a return train ticket for a one way ticket, so where's the advantage in that? It's no wonder the service didn't survive. If it costs around £2.00 - £3.00 for a bus between the airport and Leeds (nine miles) then the cost of a ticket to York (around 30 miles) should cost in the region of about £7.50 or around £10.00 for a return fare. First have been charging £10 for a one way fare. Also, if they had started the service in Yeadon or Guiseley it would have given local residents a chance to use the service.

One other problem I had noticed is that the service didn't operate 24 hours. If you are to check-in at 03:30 for your 06:30 departure you need to set off from York at around 02:30. What was happening is that although the first bus was getting to the airport at around 05:20 which is too late for most of the early morning departures when the airport is at it's busiest. Basically it's the usual problem where not enough thought went into planning the service.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

You ought to come to Bristol if you think First in the Yorkshire area is bad.

First is the dominant company for city and country routes and admits to charging more in Bristol than it does anywhere else in the country for similar length journeys. The company blames Bristol's appalling traffic congestion that it says adds to its base costs.

Bristol came bottom in a recent survey into public transport (bus and rail) of Great Britain's 12 major cities.

 

[rmac]

Has a rail station on the Harrogate to Leeds line at the point where it is close to the tunnel near Horsforth ever been considered? A free shuttle bus to the airport terminal could be provided, similar to the Luton Parkway rail station and others in the country. A later rail spur to the airport could be added when funds are available. This would allow passengers from York (and the East coast) Harrogate and Leeds to get to the airport by rail, then shuttle bus.

 

[Aviador]

There is already a station in Horsforth near to the tunnel which is only about mile and a half away from the terminal or about a 5-10 minute bus ride away. The road system is poor to Horsforth without going for a detour via the A65 which would add another 4 miles onto the trip.

 

[Bigman]

There are no early buses into LBA from Leeds or Bradford, let alone York.

I have said all along that a new station should be built north of Horsforth to ask as a Luton style parkway station. A new road going from the airport to the parkway and then on to the A660 would need to be built. I bet a shuttle bus wouldn't even take 5 minutes to the airport.

 

[Aviador]

I can only guess that the only reason why the airport hasn't tried a bus link to the Horsforth station is because of Scotland Lane which is clearly unsuitable for bus type vehicles. Like you say Bigman, it would probably only take a five minute journey if they did. From Horsforth passengers can go onward to Harrogate, York and Leeds. If the airport had a station nearer to the terminal building it would probably take away the need for most other public surface access transport except possibly the Bradford service.

 

[Aviador]

Discussion are ongoing with LBIA (in consultation with Metro) to agree the most effective way of delivering these short term measures with this application to bring the airport up to the required level of public transport accessibility. Short term measures relate to upgrade the existing bus service to the airport to provide a 15 minute frequency to a major public transport interchange at weekdays, with a minimum 30 minute frequency at weekends. http://democracy.leeds.gov.uk/Published ... ocA.ps.pdf

Thanks to 'empire' for posting a link to this on another thread.

It's good to see that the airport and metro recognise the need for more frequent bus services to the airport . A 15 minute frequency will be far better than the present timetable. I would have liked to have seen provision for a 24 hour service in addition to the proposals mentioned. A bus service that starts at around 6 in the morning is no use as an ornament to people catching sn early morning departure.