On the road to a gridlock

THOUSANDS OF people across the district own cars and love using them.

They take their children to school or nip round to the corner shop to get a newspaper instead of walking the distance in just minutes.

But surprising statistics today reveal that those little journeys which could be avoided are contributing to the traffic snarl-ups in one of Britain's busiest cities.

The latest traffic survey in the district reveals the flow at peak hours in the school holidays is up by ten per cent, making travel in the city much quicker.

They also show a 30 per cent reduction in the number of people walking distances of under a mile in the district.

But transport chiefs, the Government and motoring organisations have warned that cities are heading for a standstill - unless urgent measures are taken to cut the use of cars.

The latest figures for Bradford and Leeds show peak hour traffic speeds have fallen from an average of 21.3 miles per hour in 1993 to 19.5.

And that could mean draconian measures proposed by Transport Secretary John Prescott could become a harsh reality.

He has put forward measures which have horrified some motorists, such as road tolls and levies on employers who provide parking spaces for their staff.

Bradford Council's Executive member for Transport Latif Darr says so far they are not being considered in Bradford.

Neighbouring Leeds Council, however, is jumping the gun and has already asked to be a pilot for road charges.

And Councillor Darr says he fears in the years to come the Government may insist on the unpopular measures, as towns and cities become totally gridlocked.

But what are the alternatives for Bradford's motorist - many of whom say they wouldn't touch public transport with a barge pole?

An RAC survey shows 81 per cent of Britain's commuters say they would never use buses or trains compared with only 65 per cent in 1988, while 75 per cent never use trains, an increase of 58 per cent.

The survey shows some commuter journeys on buses and trains take three times as long as the same time by car.

Bradford motorists say they worry because there is no guarantee they would reach their destinations in time with public transport.

They could also face uncomfortable journeys in shabby vehicles and have to walk long distances in bad weather to bus stops if they do not live near main routes.

Bradford Council hopes to reduce the expected increase in traffic from 16 per cent to 7.5 in the year 2010 by joining the four other West Yorkshire authorities in a bid to lever more Government funding to ease the road crisis.

The five-year plan focuses heavily on integrated schemes and improvements to public transport.

Petergate would be closed in Bradford city centre, which it is estimated would stop 28,000 vehicles a day from clogging up the streets.

There has already been a boost for Bradford with Government funds being allocated towards a £9 million state-of-the-art guided bus lane on snarled-up Manchester Road.

This is likely to tie in with the district's first major park and ride scheme in Odsal.

But businesses fear it could lead to even more hold-ups because the width of the road will be affected.

The Council is already going down the route of park and ride at Shipley, Bingley and Steeton railway stations, but even so, they depend on trains being punctual.

Cycling is being promoted by Bradford Council which is providing special routes for riders. But few people are taking up the option. If they do, health benefits could well be affected by pollution from traffic jams.

Air conditions are also a major factor in the Government's aim to keep road traffic down to a minimum.

Pollution particles exceeded the advised Government levels on at least two occasions in Bradford last year - and many people suffer from asthma.

The Council is also pioneering a safe routes to school project where children could make safe journeys without the need to be taken to school by car.

Coun Darr admitted that planning failures in the past had accelerated Bradford's traffic growth.

Out-of-town centres like the White Rose at Leeds were given permission for retail centres with huge, free car parks.

And the exodus to out-of-town centres from Bradford means that even at weekends people can be stuck in traffic.

Coun Darr says the errors of the past cannot be rectified, but the Council could well look at innovative measures for the future.

They could include the district's first car-free zones in housing developments.

Coun Darr said: "It could be a condition of planning that developments should be designed in a way to discourage people from having cars. It might be that residents could also sign covenants.

"Bradford isn't as bad as some other cities for traffic, but that doesn't mean that everything is okay and measures have to be taken."

But a car-free day in Bradford last year was a flop, and only a handful of drivers accepted an offer of free travel by the First Bradford bus company.

Coun Darr's deputy Councillor Phil Thornton said he believed park and ride schemes were the only solution, with big investments from rail and bus companies.

First Bradford has brought in a fleet of super buses and also plans to bring in articulated "bendy" buses which could carry more passengers at a time. They would be geared towards people with disabilities and parents with prams and pushchairs.

West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is also carrying out a £1.7 million improvement scheme at its shabby bus deck at Bradford Interchange in a bid to draw in more passengers.

Rail chiefs say there will be new rolling stock, and huge improvements are taking place at Leeds Railway Station.

But Coun Darr says the answer to Bradford's traffic problems lies largely in educating the public to look at other means of transport.

Getting geared up for when relief road is built

A brainstorming session was due to be held today by the Aire Valley Public Transport Commission on what to do with Bingley Main Street following the building of the relief road.

Chaired by Shipley MP Chris Leslie, it will work out how to take full advantage of the opportunity created by the new road.

He is keen that Bingley should have a coherent, imaginative plan which will make it a byword for public transport excellence and a more pleasant place to shop and visit.

In particular he wants to see cutting edge technology introduced to provide information on public transport.

Bus stops with London Underground-style information boards showing how soon buses are due and where they are heading, as operate in Ipswich, would be a huge help, he says.

He added: "I want to make Bingley's public transport system user-friendly so people can just turn up to bus stops and immediately know how long they have to wait and the best way of getting around the area. To that end we shall be looking at other towns across Britain. I would also like to see some investment in the town centre."

He is convinced that public transport would be more widely used if its reliability could be enhanced and made more customer-friendly.

Other ideas for the town centre include possible pedestrianisation, bus lanes and narrowing the road space to create a more welcoming and relaxed high street with trees and paved areas with seats.

The campaign to build a relief road to unclog the A650 through Bingley town centre has been going on for longer than most people care to remember.

The Government has now given a firm commitment to the £60 million scheme, John Prescott signalling yesterday that he was bringing it forward by a year.

And as a member of a key Government transport committee, Mr Leslie is well placed to pester ministers about getting the relief road up and running.

He says: "I am convinced that we can now fast track the contracting process. Officials in the Highways Agency are writing up the contract now. We could see the diggers in by early 2001."

The chairman of Bradford Hoteliers' Association Richard Stoyle welcomes the building of the Bingley relief road.

And as general manager of the Bankfield Hotel, Bradford Road, Bingley, which will be directly affected by the new road, he knows better than most the problems caused by congestion and its impact on tourism in Bingley.

He said: "We view it as positive. The road as it is causes problems at this end of town. The traffic in the morning is a negative factor. It takes 25 minutes to take our kids on what should be a five-minute journey to Beckfoot School.

"Its construction will cause us some disruption as we will be right on the roundabout but generally we look upon it as positive. Ultimately it has got to work in our favour."

William Oxley, of Bingley's Five Rise Locks Hotel, said he would like to see efforts concentrating on how to market Bingley in five years' time when the road should be complete.

He said: "The danger for Bingley is that it could be forgotten. Saltaire is going for its World Heritage Status and Bingley could get left behind. However, there could be an explosion of eating places there making it an attractive proposition. The question is 'What are we trying to achieve?'"

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.