Write to the Secretary of State before 31^st October

The NGT Trolleybus scheme is a major infrastructure scheme with implications for the whole of Leeds. A Public Inquiry in 2014 could result in the proposals being confirmed, abandoned or radically revised but you have to make your views known now!

Local Residents' Associations have serious misgivings about the proposals. They are concerned that the scheme will despoil a very attractive part of the city and that, following years of disruption and unnecessary expense (£250m, of which about £77m comes from Leeds), we would end up with a public transport service that is no cheaper and no better - in some respects worse - than we have now.

It is important that individual residents and businesses make their own views known to the Secretary of State : if there are very few written objections it may be concluded that there is no real opposition to the scheme. Filling in a questionnaire is helpful but is not enough! Please write and encourage others (including others in your own household) to do so.

Send your comments to:
Secretary of State for Transport,
c/o Transport and Works Act Orders Unit,
General Counsel's Office,
Department for Transport,
Zone 1/18,
Great Minster House,
33 Horseferry Road,
London SW1P 4DR

or e-mail to transportandworksact@dft.gsi.gov.uk

The buttons in the menu on the left are links to our detailed analysis of the effects of the proposals. The information behind these buttons and the following summary notes may help you formulate your response but comments must be in your own words and from your own perspective - it must not be a "cut-and-paste" exercise. Think about the implications of NGT for your life and for the area you live in and for you as a council tax payer.

Heritage and Environment

• Changes to the visual appearance of Headingley Lane and Otley Rd; road & pavement widths; loss of green verges & mature trees; additional street clutter (traffic lights, overhead cabling, extra shelters, etc).
• The effect on the six Conservation Areas it passes through (historic walls & buildings).
• Forecast increase in fuel consumption and emissions(due to increased congestion and rat running)
• Implications for the quality of life in Headingley and the other communities on the route.

Public Transport Services

• Impacts on existing bus services - frequency, commercial viability, fares, journey times.
• Consequences of having separate stops for trolleybuses (passengers need to choose in advance and then find frequencies are half what they would otherwise be) - lack of integration.
• Implications of the trolleybuses' limited availability of seats (2/3 of capacity will be for standing passengers)

Traffic Impacts

• Implications of the various road closures and banned turns.
• Implications of increased traffic congestion for delay, pollution and rat-running.
• Implications of fast-moving, near-silent, articulated vehicles for pedestrian and cyclist safety.
• Disruption and inconvenience during the three year construction period
• Impact of disruption and reduced parking on local businesses.

The Design Process and Value for money

• Was there adequate and meaningful consultation with residents and businesses?
• Implications of relying on an inflexible technology offered only by relatively few suppliers.
• Risks of a price-war with commercial bus operators
• Are the benefits claimed for the trolleybus scheme realistic - and do they outweigh the negative impacts?
• Have other potential "solutions" to Headingley's transport problems been fully considered?
• Is the scheme good value for (our) money - given other priorities?

We will be holding Information sessions on:

• Thursday 10^th October 7-9 pm at St Andrew's Church Hall, Butcher Hill
• Saturday 12^th October 10-12 am at St Chad's Parish Centre