Road, Rail & Access Issues

[airforced]

Pesky £2 Drop Off Charge

White Heather wrote "For my part, I do not intend to make any further posts on this issue as just about everything that can be said about this charge, has been said."

As you, and others, quite rightly mention the £2 drop off fee is an emotive subject. It will remain so for as long as it is in place I fear. In your last post, and in an earlier one if I'm not mistaken, you refer to conversation(s) with management regarding their reasons for imposing the fee and that you have, due to these conversations, a better understanding of the reasons why it was introduced.

As LBIA management seem to be burying their collectives heads in the sand in the hope that the moaning will stop without them having to explain why they introduced the fee, perhaps you would be kind enough to have one final word on the matter and explain your understanding of the reasons why the fee was introduced. It might shut everyone up! I feel duty bound at this point to add that pigs might also fly but you never know do you!

One final thought. Wouldn't it be easier, and quite possibly more beneficial in revenue terms, for LBIA to add a nominal amount to their landing fees for every passenger. No-one would notice it, it would be a level playing field for all airlines and would cost less to collect.

Silly me - far too simple a solution. PS I know there will be a thousand and one reasons why not, but wouldn't it be nice for LBIA to get what they want (and need?) without getting up so many peoples noses?

 

[lbia]

Personally, I think buying LBA has not proved to be the success Bridgepoint had first thought. Mainly due to the recession and the severe lack of investment in the infrastructure. Obviously passenger numbers dropped and Bridgepoint needed to maximise income from all revenue streams. Hence the non-refundable £1 trolleys, £2 drop off etc etc.

At the end of the day, Bridgepoint are a capital investment firm and will never input the financial investment that an experienced airport operator would. I can see them doing a quick refurb of the terminal and sticking LBA up for sale again. However, if it means that paying £2 to drop people off means that we get terminal development, I would pay it. I do not agree with the charge, but Bridgepoint WILL do any development at LBA on a shoe string, and something is better than nothing.

I do agree that the drop off change topic has been done to a death, we simply need to face that £2 drop off = terminal development of some sort. Free drop off = exist with the current disgustingly embarrassing shed. I go for the £2 drop off...

 

[Bigman]

£2...can't even get a pint for that these days!!! Chicken feed.

 

[Sherburnflyer92]

Re: Pesky £2 Drop Off Charge

One final thought. Wouldn't it be easier, and quite possibly more beneficial in revenue terms, for LBIA to add a nominal amount to their landing fees for every passenger. No-one would notice it, it would be a level playing field for all airlines and would cost less to collect.

Ryanair, would either a) disagree with this charge and leave as they did with others. or b) they would pass this charge onto the passengers.

 

[User0001]

We can only hope for an outbreak of common sense. With regard to the airport, the council does not have a great track record in this regard

Maybe this is what happened. The printed minutes from the Council's Executive Board are out, and read as follows

RESOLVED –
(a) That the contents of the submitted report, together with the work
undertaken to identify a way forward in terms of provision for public hire
taxis at Leeds Bradford International Airport be noted.

(b) That the option detailed within the report to develop a taxi rank on
Whitehouse Lane not be progressed at this time, with further work
being progressed on the Surface Access Strategy, in order to address
the concerns raised during the discussion and also to ensure that
public access to the airport was maximised.

(c) That officers be instructed to liaise with LBIA about the development of
their Forecourt Management Plan in order to ensure that the negative
impact of current parking arrangements on the highway, especially
Whitehouse Lane, are mitigated as part of the process of discharging
planning conditions relating to the Airport Terminal Building.

The decision not to proceed is quite different to how the meeting was reported in the YEP.

The revised estimate caused anger and confusion among some committee members, but they vowed to plough on with the project.

Committee chairman Coun Keith Wakefield said: “Finding a million pounds is not easy, but we should not give up on this.”

A possible and intriguing explanation for this volte-face is a confidential letter that was received by the council and was discussed in private, before the decision was reached. The letter was deemed to be private on the grounds that it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any person or company

We can only speculate who this letter was from, or what it contained, but it appeared to be meaty enough for the council to back off.

 

[White Heather]

Perhaps it was a legal letter relating to the action that the current taxi contractor might take in the event that their business is diluted due to the opening of a new taxi rank. Whatever it was, the decision to put the matter on hold is sensible. The council need to work with the airport regarding the entire issue and have a solution in place which then forms part of the bidding process when the next taxi contract is let. That way, the taxi firms know what they are bidding for and what competition there will be. There can be no risk then of legal battles whilst customers will ultimately have a choice - which has to be a good thing in the long run. It also allows more time to find a more sensible and cheaper location for any taxi rank.

Ultimately though, it looks like a temporary (at least) cessation of hostilities between the Council and LBA. Perhaps they might even have realised the benefits of working together than being at loggerheads all the time? I always think of the saying 'United we stand, divided we fall' - no doubt MAN would be happy to exploit LBA's position if the council and airport continue to be divided. That said, the 'United we stand' bit didn't really apply last Sunday did it? I understand there is a help line available to stunned Utd fans who need counselling - 0 16 16 16 16 16.

 

[Bigman]

Maybe it's about time someone looked at running an express shuttle bus from New Pudsey station to the airport. This would only take 20-25 minutes or so (ie a lot quicker than from Leeds or Bradford), but would tap into the big park and ride facilities. This would also provide better links to the likes of Halifax and York.

 

[Aviador]

"As a result of a road traffic accident on A658 (Apperley Bridge) traffic is being diverted through Calverley. Delays may be encountered as a result. Please check your local traffic service for updates and allow additional time for your journey to LBA."

Source: LBA website

 

[lbaspotter]

Well on the same day that LBA announce's ryanair expansion and new routes the local rag The Yorkshire Evening Post have gone on the attack once again but this time with Leeds City Council regarding the costing of the proposed hackney taxi rank up at the airport..

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co....port_taxi_rank_cost_shock_exclusive_1_3932184

Leeds and Bradford Airport taxi rank cost shock EXCLUSIVE

y David Marsh
Published on Thursday 3 November 2011 09:42

Councillors are demanding to know more after the estimated cost of a taxi rank at Leeds-Bradford Airport increased more than ten-fold to £905,000.

Initial estimates for the scheme in Whitehouse Lane were about £80,000, with the taxi trade willing to contribute towards the cost.

Acting on the instructions of senior councillors, council officials drew up a detailed design layout for the rank, which was presented to the executive board last month – and which put the cost at £905,000

Faced with forking out such a large sum at a time when the council is having to cut services, the board decided not to go ahead with the project.

Coun Bernard Atha (Lab, Kirkstall) described the increase in the estimated cost as “breathtaking” and said the figures should be presented to the scrutiny board and, if necessary, forwarded to an independent engineer for assessment.

Coun Atha said: “How can such an enormous jump in costs be justified?

It is also worth pointing out that the YEP have also reported todays good news from the airport as well. http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... _1_3935129

 

[White Heather]

Well it is negative, although when you read it the main issue is over the costs originally estimated by the council - and that is nothing to do with the airport.

It would seem to me that the original costs were for nothing more than painting a taxi rank on to Whitehouse Lane, and then they found that was a non starter for all sorts of reasons, not least maintaining a clear access for emergency vehicles to comply with CAA rules. The result was that to create a taxi rank they were going to have to get their hands dirty, dig up the ground to form a lay by, move drains etc etc. Basically someone did a back of a fag packet cost estimate without bothering to find out what would really be involved. Now, the council has egg on its face.

 

[User0001]

John Parkin confirmed on Radio Leeds this afternoon that the taxi rank won't go ahead. He also confirmed they want to put new signage on the approach road to make it clear about the 1 hour free parking and also to notify drivers about their choices earlier. He said there were some "planning obstacles" that they were trying hard to overcome to get this done.

 

[News Guru]

[textarea]New Leeds Bradford Airport rail link planned for spring 2012

A new rail link for Leeds Bradford Airport could get the provisional go-ahead as soon as spring next year, the YEP can reveal.

Harrogate Chamber of Commerce has asked Transport Secretary Teresa Villiers for a decision, in principle, on a proposed new rail system connecting Leeds, Harrogate and York.

The plans include a new station – Leeds International Airport Parkway – based near the Bramhope Tunnel, between Horsforth and Weeton, which would connect to the airport by a park and ride scheme. New stations with park and ride schemes are also being put forward for Pool, Butterskye Bar and Arthington.

If Ms Villiers agrees in principle, it is hoped detailed costings and other design work could begin in earnest

Read more[/textarea]

 

[Galaxy]

This is what i have been wanting for years, it will make so much more sense and be much cheaper than digging a cutting. It needs to be complemented with a decent park and ride facility, and a link road from the A660 to avoid Bramhope suffering more the effects, as well as a footpath from Cookridge Moseley Woods.

 

[Aviador]

All sounds good if they can pull it off. The planning process will probably still take years unless it's fast-tracked so we will probably still be waiting years before we see it come to fruition.

 

[White Heather]

The proposal is that it won't be that long at all compared to the other tentative proposals, because the rolling stock will become available (ex District Line on the London Underground) in the relatively near future. It all has to be refurbished and of course the is the small matter of putting in an electrified 3rd rail, building the station and obtaining the land to build the link road, and car parks at the proposed stations, but in the greater scheme of things, this is a proposal that can be delivered relatively quickly compared to all other options, and also relatively cheaply.

It is a fantastic opportunity not only to serve the airport but at the same time to vastly improve the service on the Leeds - Harrogate - York line, with quicker trains and a more frequent service. I understand that rough costs for the rail installation and rolling stock refurbishment are already available. I would imagine too that the park and ride schemes at outlying stations can be introduced over time once the plan is approved - surely the first priority is to get the line electrified and the airport station up and running.

Of all the schemes I have heard of, I think that this has the best chance of approval.

 

[BigT2207]

Its a pity they cannot put back the line from Menston to Arthington ( I have read that there is talk of putting the line back from Menston to Otley).

Then you could trains from Skipton, Keighley, Bingley, Shipley Bradford Foster Square, and Ilkley to the Aiport Park and Ride as well as York and Harrogate


Big T

 

[User0001]

To connect the airport upto Leeds city rail station would be an absolute massive step forward for the airport. The train station in Leeds is one of the busiest in the country with a massive array of direct destinations.

For potential passengers choosing which airport to book their holiday from the fact they know they can get to the airport with only one quick hasslefree change of train and then a short onward train journey would be a huge factor.

At the moment the conceived difficulty of getting to the airport on various busses and roads etc is putting people from even the local vicinity off using the airport.

A link like this, once publicised and widely known about would completely open up the airport to virtually all points of the compass and the numbers would give great weight to sort the road situation out. I will be personally writing to the Minister mentioned and I urge you all to do the same.

I cannot stress more how much of a boost Leeds International Parkway would be.

 

[Seasider]

They opened an "East Midlands Airport Parkway" station a couple of years ago. I am not 100% certain but I think the bus link to the airport doesn't operate anymore.
It is a good idea in principle but will enough people use it?

 

[Seasider]

I know I am answering my own question, but looking on the East Midlands thread, the station opened in January 2009 and the bus service terminated April 2010. It was only a trial service for a year and not enough people used it.

 

[whoshotjimmi]

A proposed LBA station would be far closer to the airport than East Midlands parkway (approx 1 mile as opposed to roughly 4). It would also be a far better served station than the aforementioned station with much better links to the rest of the country.

HOWEVER

The scheme in proposal is much more complex than it sounds and has literally hundreds of hurdles to clear before it can even be put to tender. Chief among would be the addition of a non-standard network requiring massive modifications to existing trains and infrastructure at a time when everything is being rationalised and the long term cost/benefit is at the forefront of any plan.

In theory, the plan is good for the airport. But, I fear, the park and ride proposals would not necessarily provide as large a benefit as is hoped as the majority of through traffic on that particular route is Harrogate - Bradford. There would still be no link to Bradford, thus not alleviating certain traffic issues. Plus, for LBA to have any benefit, a connecting bus service would need to be regular and given enough time to pay its way. It would almost certainly be loss making (at least to begin with) and would require a great deal of support from either the airport, the local authority, or both.

I think that we should not get too excited about this. Certainly, it is a possibility and there is a great clamour for it. But it will be long in coming and, in it's current form at least, is fraught with difficulties.