A very good find by Aviador but, I believe, we need to break it down into what is not of benefit to LBA, what is of benefit but not currently acheivable and what is of benefit and is achievable.
Firstly, what is not of benefit. A link road between M1 J46 and the A58 serves only to improve access to the wealthy suburbs of Leeds by removing or reducing the impact of the Seacroft bottleneck. It could even be argued that this would allow inhabitants of this area to more easily access DSA, EMA or MAN due to quicker access to the motorway. It could even have a significant NEGATIVE impact on the businesses of Seacroft & Cross Gates owing to the projected drop in through traffic which could then impact upon LBA in the form of reduced pax due to job losses. This is merely speculation, of course. However, it is important to weigh out all the pros and cons. The link road would not provide better access to LBA so no direct benefit. The only thing I can think of that could be a positive is, should the Seacroft bottleneck be dealt with, the journey time, coupled with A61 junction improvements, could be cut by approx 5 mins.
Secondly, what is of benefit but not currently achievable. The ideal situation is that a tram train link will be built to the front door. The reality is that it won't happen unless private money pays for it. I think we need to forget about light rail for the time being. The line in question is showing huge growth and has huge potential as a heavy rail link. As a result, conversion to light rail is not a necessity to revitalise the service (as was the case with the Manchester - Bury/Oldham lines etc). With that in mind, tram train is probably not the best option for the line; nor is light rail. Electrification of existing infrastructure will require significant private investment. Until that happens, the rail option (and the associated park and ride) is going nowhere.
Thirdly, what is achievable. A link road between the A65 and A658 has long been in the planning. This would allow a journey time improvement to the centre of Leeds of approx 10 minutes. The A65 quality bus scheme is already well underway promising time savings of up to 5 mins. These, coupled with junction improvements at the Horsforth roundabout could, effectively, improve the journey time to central Leeds from 38 minutes to approx 20. That would rival even a rail link. There is, of course, the further benefit to the wider area. LBA planning applications have to get around all sorts of red tape with regards to the impact it will have on the local population. A link road would remove an enormous amount of traffic from the Yeadon area, removing loads of planning restrictions. In my mind, this is the one to really get behind, rather than the stuttering rail link, especially if the benefits of the better bus services can be fully realised.
The Horsforth and Rodley roundabouts are widely seen as the bottlenecks in West Leeds and improvements to these junctions would make access to the airport far easier - a good 5 to 10 minutes (at busy times) I would have thought. Unlike the previously mentioned Seacroft bottleneck, the Rodley/Horsforth junctions are necessary to use for most people travelling to LBA. Therefore the benefit would be palpable.
Obviously, this report comes from Leeds City Council. However, I would like to see them work more closely with Bradford city council to improve access from the South West and M62. The links in that direction are unflattering at best. Quite frankly, you may as well write off Huddersfield and Halifax as well as a large part of Bradford as a catchment area as Manchester is, at least, as accessible from these points of origin. The problem, in my opinion, is the link between Bradford city centre and the airport. From the M62 to Bradford city centre, the route is reasonably quick and straightforward. After that, it is a nightmare.
