Leeds Bradford: Airport Road, Rail & Access Issues

[Tarn Spotter]

Good to see Paul Nuttall putting the case for investment in LBA on last nights BBCQT, putting forward a case for investment in the north, which the question related too, rather then London and especially LHR getting all the funds.

 

[Aviador]

White Heather has mentioned their is a unscheduled meeting at the airport likely to be to discuss the airports masterplan.

I imagine the delay has been down to Leeds City Council extending the consultation period for the new link road. I have to admit, I'm somewhat concerned about the amount of noise Greg Mulholland MP and the various other ward councillors are making against the proposed link road.

I do wish the various political parties would cast politics aside to get this sorted. Most people recognise the way forward in the future is to have a rail link, but the airport needs better road links now if it is to expand further.

 

[Tarn Spotter]

Greg Mulholland is unfortunately my local MP and is clueless in having any appreciation of the areas needs and is closely tied to focus groups who feel if they make enough noise they must be right.
If you discuss as I and my son have done for 10 minutes with him you can totally destroy his arguements, he is interested in getting votes, not what is in the long term interest of the area. He will not make a decision if he knows it will be disliked my a portion of his voters.
When I put to him the housing needs of the area and building on the golf club, he did not know how many people on the housing waiting list or how many homeless in the area, give him facts and he will give you waffle.
The strentgh of the Lib Dems in the past has been to listen to local opionion, unfortunately you then have to have to ability to sort out a coherant policy. My experience in both a business and personal sense with this guy, tells me he has nothing to offer.

 

[White Heather]

Apparently good enough to keep on getting re-elected though. He is my MP too, but I too am unhappy at his stance regarding the airport link road. We need a road and a train link, not one or the other. Good to see that the old short sightedness of our MP's is alive and well after all these years. Shame they can't be sent on a training course to Greater Manchester to see how its done. I do agree with him with regard to the trolley-bus scheme though, which is just pointless.

 

[rmac]

Or send them to Edinburgh - tram now into the airport and doing very well and now a rail/tram interchange station is being constructed that will allow rail users from Fife, Dundee, Perth and further north to change onto the tram for the short journey to the terminal building.
How long have they thought about a rail station even on the Harrogate line for LBA ???
Come on Leeds -- lets see something happening!

 

[cmj]

Or send them to Edinburgh - tram now into the airport and doing very well and now a rail/tram interchange station is being constructed that will allow rail users from Fife, Dundee, Perth and further north to change onto the tram for the short journey to the terminal building.
How long have they thought about a rail station even on the Harrogate line for LBA ???
Come on Leeds -- lets see something happening!

A tram? in Leeds?.... ha ha ha. Wasn't Leeds Supertram cancelled by a certain MP for Edinburgh?

To be fair, I do share the scepticism about the link road in that it's more a way to open up land for house building than actually make access to the airport easier.

 

[White Heather]

To be fair, I do share the scepticism about the link road in that it's more a way to open up land for house building than actually make access to the airport easier.

That is not the case with the main Option 1 as much of the land it passes through is either unsuitable for house building or is literally alongside the airport perimeter fence. However, it is ideal to open up the airport related business park that is planned for behind the Avro Factory. The 2nd option, which follows much of Bayton Lane across Rawdon Billing and Plane Tree Hill is pretty useless for the airport and I would suspect, as you say, it more about access for housing developments. The third option, a general widening and upgrade of the A65 and A658 is useless for either the airport or housing and is nothing more than a cop out in my view. Frankly, I think it was only put into the options list instead of the usual 'Do Nothing' option. For Leeds, even that is progress as in the past the 'Do Nothing' option has been their preferred way forward when it comes to airport related development.

 

[Aviador]

[textarea]Calls to scrap airport link road proposals

CALLS are being made for multi-million pound airport link road proposals to be scrapped amid claims the schemes are flawed.

Leeds City Council is carrying out a consultation on three options to improve connectivity to Leeds Bradford Airport, but its strategy has been attacked by Rawdon parish councillors.

The parish council has carried out its own traffic survey and says most airport traffic does not use the area that would be the focus of the new routes.

Rawdon Parish Council is now urging residents to lobby Leeds City Council (LCC) against all three options, which range in price from £15 million to £75 million.

Read more: http://www.wharfedaleobserver.co.uk/new ... proposals/[/textarea]

 

[Aviador]

The problem I see is, if the link road idea is scrapped it wont be replaced with solid plans to build a rail link, it will just mean we are left with the status quo. Basically we will be left with dire roads and no rail link. The local council will continue to approve more and more house building in the area regardless of weather the link road is built.

 

[rmac]

I cannot believe that after all these years of saying the airport has such poor access roads that now when realistic proposals are being put forward for a road that would benefit the airport and the surrounding area some are saying it should now be scrapped! Hopefully the rail halt on the main Harrogate line will at least make further progress, even if a rail link into the airport eventually gets the go ahead.

 

[lbaspotter]

I totally agree with what you say rmac.

That dam A65-A658 link road needs to be built the sooner the dam bloody better in my book. Everyone has been calling out for it to be built for years. But now its on the agenda with funding in place and discussion taking place between both the local council and Government people seem to be talking themselves into that its not needed any more for some reason, even though the traffic is getting worse as more and more people use road transport to get up to the airport or into work.
I do think better connections (via bus) to the rail network needs to happen ASAP. But an building a airport train station is not going to happen any time before the road link is built. The government would not be able warrant spending the vast amount of public funding required for an infrastructure project of this scale.

Some people are never happy and will just stick with what we have got. And you wonder why it's Grim up North!

 

[Tarn Spotter]

rmac: I do think although we are differences we all want change.
I disagree with White Heather who feels plan B is "pretty useless for the airport" whereas I feel as it not only provides a useful route to the airport, but will as she say open up valuable residential biulding land as well justifying the capital outlay and providing as well land desparately needed for new houses.
My major objection to A is that the area link north from where plan B would divert off, the expense not justified and the traffic would enter a very dangerous stretch of road, one where my transport company has been involved in a fatal accident and numerous others over the years, even bringing a 50 zone in has not helped.
For me plan B coming in and PCC Airfoils having to relocate and making this the enterance road for Multiflight etc and opening up if required airport develoment along this parimitar.
Bringing in B would allow you to syphon off at its victora road junction all the traffic for the west, east and Bradford etc and send via the ring road to dawsons corner for further segrigation. THis would remove the bulk of traffic using Apperley Bridge and remove another bottle neck.
91% of people answering the survey on this forum say I am wrong, I have many objection to plan A, building so near to runway 32 and curtailing any develoment in this area, would be one, it hinders airport growth.

 

[Aviador]

For me it has to be option A or nothing. I don't share your opinion on option B Tarn Spotter and I object to further house building in the area that option B would facilitate.

 

[a300boy]

I am with you Aviador !
I do not want a housing estate to be built between my house and the threshold of runway 14 at the side of Yeadon Tarn. The reason I downsized was to have the view the empty field gives me, If they build I will sell up and emigrate to Australia.

 

[Seasider]

I am with you Aviador !
I do not want a housing estate to be built between my house and the threshold of runway 14 at the side of Yeadon Tarn. The reason I downsized was to have the view the empty field gives me, If they build I will sell up and emigrate to Australia.

That's a bit drastic

 

[Aviador]

I am with you Aviador !
I do not want a housing estate to be built between my house and the threshold of runway 14 at the side of Yeadon Tarn. The reason I downsized was to have the view the empty field gives me, If they build I will sell up and emigrate to Australia.

That's a bit drastic

Which part, sharing my view or emigrating to Australia 😀

 

[Bigman]

Being greedy here, but why don't they build the Option A road AND put in a rail link AND put a starter strip on 32 and pull back the threshold back over the bump!! Might as well do all the civils in one fair swoop!!

 

[a300boy]

Any addition to the Airport Infrastructure is ok with me !

 

[lbaspotter]

Any addition to the Airport Infrastructure is ok with me !

Dose that include if Jet2 fill in Yeadon Tarn, build a great big hangar and apron along with a staff car park for it engineers. Or would it mean you go down under and become a Aussie git A300boy? :whiteflag:

 

[a300boy]

I would stay around for that as long as we had lots of interesting maintenance visitors passing my viewing area !
I could put another level on my house fo a better view. Just go to Oz on extended holidays then.