Transport systems in the North need a massive overhaul

IN the Wakefield area, and probably most of the north of England, almost every one works, shops, goes to school and socialises within 20 miles of their home.

We need a transport system that allows us to make these relatively short journeys quickly, safely, regularly, cheaply and in a reasonable degree of comfort ( Tom Richmond, The Yorkshire Post, February 11).

At present public transport meets few, if any, of these KPIs ( key performance indicators) and given the state of the roads, traffic congestion and the high cost of motoring generally, private transport is only slightly more attractive. Our whole transportation planning, systems and infrastructure in the North needs a massive rethink and overhaul.

We need a massive investment and injection of time and money into, not only making travelling easier, but in freeing people from the drudgery of just getting from A to B.

In the 21st century a journey of 20 miles should not require a massive amount of planning. We should be able to predict, within five minutes or so, how long the journey will take and be confident that we will actually arrive. In addition, why should we pay good money to crammed in like cattle?

Investing £ 100bn in HS2 will not solve or even begin to address the problems faced by thousands of northerners in simply trying to get to work. If we are to make the most of our future now we have left the EU, we need people to work hard and if they can’t get to work, or arrive late, tired and frustrated by the journey, productivity will be dismal. Remember, this is not a unique insight. It’s blindingly obvious!

From; Chris Oglesby, Chief Executive, Bruntwood.

BUSINESS leaders across the North and Midlands will be breathing a sigh of relief now that HS2 has been given the green light. We cannot afford any more prevarication or delay as there can be no ‘ levelling- up’ of the UK economy without transformational new infrastructure projects outside of London and the South East. The focus now needs to shift on to how we can bring phases one and two forward as soon as possible, and to providing the North with a whole network of modern, highspeed transport infrastructure that it needs to sustain future growth.

From: Thomas Reed, Harrogate.

IF Ministers had highlighted the issue of capacity, rather than speed, for HS2, they would not be facing such strong criticism now.