Leeds trolleybus and Supertram promoters had “unrealistically high ambitions”
The NGT New Generation Transport Leeds
Trolleybus as it would have looked The NGT New Generation Transport Leeds
Trolleybus as it would have looked Aisha Iqbal A planning expert has given a
damning verdict on the role played by decison-makers in Leeds’s
failed NGT trolleybus and Supertram schemes.
Professor Peter Bonsall, Emeritus
Professor of Transport Planning at the University of Leeds,
was invited to offer his views to an inquiry panel which is investigating the
city’s doomed duo of transport projects, which were developed over a period of
30 years in total before both were eventually dumped by the Government. And in
his 18 page report to the cross-party panel, which meets for its first session
next week, Professor Bonsall says: “The history of the Supertram and NGT
schemes is a sad one. “It has involved considerable waste of public resources,
decades of delay in addressing Leeds’s
transport problems and consequent frustration for the city’s people and
businesses. “It is tempting to blame Whitehall
and Westminster
for having seemed to encourage the projects and ultimately to have refused to
fund them, but I believe that much of the problem lies closer to home.” He said
“unrealistically high ambitions” were a key factor, adding: “The scheme for
which funding was eventually sought was clearly larger than DfT were willing to
accept and its business case was not sound. “These proved to be fatal flaws
when combined with unfortunate timing - had a smaller scheme been brought
forward while tram schemes were popular with Government then Leeds
might have received funding for a scheme which might later have been extended.”
Referring to the NGT trolleybus, he said its eventual rejection following a
public inquiry was due to the “fundamental weakness of its business case”. He
said opposition from local communities and businesses was “significant but
would not have swayed the inspector had the Business Case been sound”. He
added: “This weakness was, in my opinion, due to an over-hasty decision to
pursue a trolleybus scheme as a kind of ‘supertram-lite’ and to implement the
main part of the scheme in the A660 corridor - where segregation from other
traffic is difficult to achieve.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-trolleybus-and-supertram-promoters-had-unrealistically-high-ambitions-1-8245019
Read more at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-trolleybus-and-supertram-promoters-had-unrealistically-high-ambitions-1-8245019
PLEASE NOTE THAT POSTINGS MAY BE DELAYED OR INTERRUPTED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. No leaves on the line or the wrong kind of snow, just major engineering at the home hub. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.
Leeds trolleybus and
Supertram promoters had “unrealistically high ambitions”
The NGT New Generation Transport Leeds Trolleybus as it would have
looked
The NGT New Generation Transport Leeds Trolleybus as it would have
looked
Aisha Iqbal
A planning expert has given a damning verdict on the role played by
decison-makers in Leeds’s failed NGT trolleybus and Supertram schemes.
Professor Peter Bonsall, Emeritus Professor of Transport Planning at the
University of Leeds, was invited to offer his views to an inquiry panel
which is investigating the city’s doomed duo of transport projects,
which were developed over a period of 30 years in total before both were
eventually dumped by the Government.
And in his 18 page report to the cross-party panel, which meets for its
first session next week, Professor Bonsall says: “The history of the
Supertram and NGT schemes is a sad one.
“It has involved considerable waste of public resources, decades of
delay in addressing Leeds’s transport problems and consequent
frustration for the city’s people and businesses.
“It is tempting to blame Whitehall and Westminster for having seemed to
encourage the projects and ultimately to have refused to fund them, but I
believe that much of the problem lies closer to home.”
He said “unrealistically high ambitions” were a key factor, adding: “The
scheme for which funding was eventually sought was clearly larger than
DfT were willing to accept and its business case was not sound.
“These proved to be fatal flaws when combined with unfortunate timing -
had a smaller scheme been brought forward while tram schemes were
popular with Government then Leeds might have received funding for a
scheme which might later have been extended.”
Referring to the NGT trolleybus, he said its eventual rejection
following a public inquiry was due to the “fundamental weakness of its
business case”.
He said opposition from local communities and businesses was
“significant but would not have swayed the inspector had the Business
Case been sound”.
He added: “This weakness was, in my opinion, due to an over-hasty
decision to pursue a trolleybus scheme as a kind of ‘supertram-lite’ and
to implement the main part of the scheme in the A660 corridor - where
segregation from other traffic is difficult to achieve.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-trolleybus-and-supertram-promoters-had-unrealistically-high-ambitions-1-8245019
Read more at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-trolleybus-and-supertram-promoters-had-unrealistically-high-ambitions-1-8245019
A planning expert has
given a damning verdict on the role played by decison-makers in Leeds’s
failed NGT trolleybus and Supertram schemes.
Professor Peter Bonsall, Emeritus Professor of Transport Planning at the
University of Leeds, was invited to offer his views to an inquiry panel
which is investigating the city’s doomed duo of transport projects,
which were developed over a period of 30 years in total before both were
eventually dumped by the Government.
And in his 18 page report to the cross-party panel, which meets for its
first session next week, Professor Bonsall says: “The history of the
Supertram and NGT schemes is a sad one.
“It has involved considerable waste of public resources, decades of
delay in addressing Leeds’s transport problems and consequent
frustration for the city’s people and businesses.
“It is tempting to blame Whitehall and Westminster for having seemed to
encourage the projects and ultimately to have refused to fund them, but I
believe that much of the problem lies closer to home.”
He said “unrealistically high ambitions” were a key factor, adding: “The
scheme for which funding was eventually sought was clearly larger than
DfT were willing to accept and its business case was not sound.
“These proved to be fatal flaws when combined with unfortunate timing -
had a smaller scheme been brought forward while tram schemes were
popular with Government then Leeds might have received funding for a
scheme which might later have been extended.”
Referring to the NGT trolleybus, he said its eventual rejection
following a public inquiry was due to the “fundamental weakness of its
business case”.
He said opposition from local communities and businesses was
“significant but would not have swayed the inspector had the Business
Case been sound”.
He added: “This weakness was, in my opinion, due to an over-hasty
decision to pursue a trolleybus scheme as a kind of ‘supertram-lite’ and
to implement the main part of the scheme in the A660 corridor - where
segregation from other traffic is difficult to achieve.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-trolleybus-and-supertram-promoters-had-unrealistically-high-ambitions-1-8245019
Read more at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-trolleybus-and-supertram-promoters-had-unrealistically-high-ambitions-1-8245019
A planning expert has
given a damning verdict on the role played by decison-makers in Leeds’s
failed NGT trolleybus and Supertram schemes.
Professor Peter Bonsall, Emeritus Professor of Transport Planning at the
University of Leeds, was invited to offer his views to an inquiry panel
which is investigating the city’s doomed duo of transport projects,
which were developed over a period of 30 years in total before both were
eventually dumped by the Government.
And in his 18 page report to the cross-party panel, which meets for its
first session next week, Professor Bonsall says: “The history of the
Supertram and NGT schemes is a sad one.
“It has involved considerable waste of public resources, decades of
delay in addressing Leeds’s transport problems and consequent
frustration for the city’s people and businesses.
“It is tempting to blame Whitehall and Westminster for having seemed to
encourage the projects and ultimately to have refused to fund them, but I
believe that much of the problem lies closer to home.”
He said “unrealistically high ambitions” were a key factor, adding: “The
scheme for which funding was eventually sought was clearly larger than
DfT were willing to accept and its business case was not sound.
“These proved to be fatal flaws when combined with unfortunate timing -
had a smaller scheme been brought forward while tram schemes were
popular with Government then Leeds might have received funding for a
scheme which might later have been extended.”
Referring to the NGT trolleybus, he said its eventual rejection
following a public inquiry was due to the “fundamental weakness of its
business case”.
He said opposition from local communities and businesses was
“significant but would not have swayed the inspector had the Business
Case been sound”.
He added: “This weakness was, in my opinion, due to an over-hasty
decision to pursue a trolleybus scheme as a kind of ‘supertram-lite’ and
to implement the main part of the scheme in the A660 corridor - where
segregation from other traffic is difficult to achieve.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-trolleybus-and-supertram-promoters-had-unrealistically-high-ambitions-1-8245019
Read more at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-trolleybus-and-supertram-promoters-had-unrealistically-high-ambitions-1-8245019
A planning expert has
given a damning verdict on the role played by decison-makers in Leeds’s
failed NGT trolleybus and Supertram schemes.
Professor Peter Bonsall, Emeritus Professor of Transport Planning at the
University of Leeds, was invited to offer his views to an inquiry panel
which is investigating the city’s doomed duo of transport projects,
which were developed over a period of 30 years in total before both were
eventually dumped by the Government.
And in his 18 page report to the cross-party panel, which meets for its
first session next week, Professor Bonsall says: “The history of the
Supertram and NGT schemes is a sad one.
“It has involved considerable waste of public resources, decades of
delay in addressing Leeds’s transport problems and consequent
frustration for the city’s people and businesses.
“It is tempting to blame Whitehall and Westminster for having seemed to
encourage the projects and ultimately to have refused to fund them, but I
believe that much of the problem lies closer to home.”
He said “unrealistically high ambitions” were a key factor, adding: “The
scheme for which funding was eventually sought was clearly larger than
DfT were willing to accept and its business case was not sound.
“These proved to be fatal flaws when combined with unfortunate timing -
had a smaller scheme been brought forward while tram schemes were
popular with Government then Leeds might have received funding for a
scheme which might later have been extended.”
Referring to the NGT trolleybus, he said its eventual rejection
following a public inquiry was due to the “fundamental weakness of its
business case”.
He said opposition from local communities and businesses was
“significant but would not have swayed the inspector had the Business
Case been sound”.
He added: “This weakness was, in my opinion, due to an over-hasty
decision to pursue a trolleybus scheme as a kind of ‘supertram-lite’ and
to implement the main part of the scheme in the A660 corridor - where
segregation from other traffic is difficult to achieve.”
Read more at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-trolleybus-and-supertram-promoters-had-unrealistically-high-ambitions-1-8245019
Read more at: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/leeds-trolleybus-and-supertram-promoters-had-unrealistically-high-ambitions-1-8245019
