notes on the leeds tram project

leeds should not have a tram. following a fifteen year campaign, alasdair darling, the transport secretary, has declared that the project is too costly and will not go ahead.

trams last ran in leeds in 1959 (which seems to have been the most newsworthy event between the worst wartime bombing in 1941, and the opening of the merrion centre in 1964), but since then road traffic has increased beyond the wildest dreams of city planners. and although growth has slowed (and bucked the national trend) in recent years, 2004 saw more than half of all peak journeys in leeds made by car.

responding to the news, metro chairman councillor karam hussain said 'this is a disgraceful decision which reflects the government’s lack of any clear policy on transport or on the development of the cities and regions outside london and the south east. in the light of this negative decision, what we need are some quick short-term benefits. we need park-and-ride schemes with bus and rail interchange and more bus quality corridors to transport people into and around the city'. no reference to the news is made on the department of transport website.

so does darling have a point? the idea for trams in leeds was proposed in 1990, and a sum of £355million was approved for the project in 2001. now, with the cost is around £486million, government funding has been withdrawn and the leeds tram project is no more. other areas of the uk that have tram systems include manchester, sheffield, nottingham, birmingham, and croydon.

'clearly it does not represent the best value for money for the people of leeds or the best use of public money,' said the transport secretary. instead, he is advocating a 'bus rapid transit' system, which is essentially a regular bus service that has the use some traffic-priority features.

this will be good news for firstgroup, who seem to be the bus operator of choice in leeds. by a happy coincidence, the company is currently hoping to cash in developing a new bendy-bus that could run in guided bus lanes. the vehicle is called the streetcar (don't call it a bus, it clearly is so much more than that), whilst the system in operates within is to be known as 'ftr' which apparently is texting shorthand for future, and presumably was chosen by a fifteen year old on work experience. said one alasdair darling, who launched the project; 'it is encouraging to see new types of public transport being developed - offering effective solutions to congestion problems. ‘ftr’ will give local authorities a new option when looking at transport issues, one which can provide a flexible service to meet passenger's needs.' the vehicles cost £320,000, 50% more than a regular bendy-bus.

given that one bus has space for between fifty and eighty passengers where a tram could easily fit in 200+, and given that 60-70% of the total operating costs of buses is the driver's wage (so the larger the vehicle the cheaper per passenger it is to run), and given that buses do less than 10 miles per gallon of increasingly expensive diesel (and generally cannot avoid getting stuck in rush-hour traffic), the best use of public money argument begins to look less watertight.

in his written statement to the house of commons on 3rd november, alasdair darling said 'we have always recognised that trams can be very effective in heavily trafficked areas. we will continue to be prepared to support trams, where they are the right solution.'  i wonder if he is referring to the planned edinburgh tram system (current estimated cost - £634million)? no, i'm certain that the new labour mp for edinburgh south-west will make an impartial decision.

it must be noted that even cyclists have reservations about the prospect of negotiating potentially slippery grooves in the road. i am a cyclist, and i share these concerns, but would argue back by pointing out that trams could actually reduce traffic volumes and local traffic pollution, making the overall journey cleaner and safer. also, what with the state of the roads in leeds, especially in the city centre, cyclists have plenty of opportunity to practise evasive manoeuvres.

trams are quiet, clean at point of delivery, accessible, reliable, and i think they could be part of the solution to today's transport problems in large cities.