A vital document setting out the future of transport in West Yorkshire will only be available online, it has been revealed. The West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan (LTP) for 2011-2026 sets out a vision for the region’s rail, road and air links in the coming years.

But in a break with tradition, bosses at Metro, West Yorkshire’s transport authority, say they will save “an absolute fortune” by not printing out hundreds of copies of the lengthy plan in full.

Instead, they will produce a “short” executive summary of the document, with the rest available on the internet.

Branded ‘MyJourney’, the plan has been developed over the past 12 months by the LTP partnership, comprising Metro and the five district councils in West Yorkshire.

There has been extensive consultation with partners, stakeholders and the public.

The plan was agreed at the latest meeting of Metro’s executive board.

The authority’s chairman, Chris Greaves, who is also a Bradford councillor, said printing it in full was too expensive.

“What we have decided is we’re not going to print it, because it will cost an absolute fortune to print hundreds of copies of this thing,” he said.

“So what we’re going to do is a short executive summary and print that and say if you want to read the main document, it’s on the web.

“That’s a way of saving money that nobody will notice. It’s not a service reduction and to me it’s the best sort of money saving.”

  • Read the full story in Monday's T&A