Frequently Asked Questions

Why is transport important?

Transport connects people to jobs and businesses to markets. For centuries, trade has made use of sea, land and latterly air transport and places have become wealthy by having good transport links. A comprehensive, integrated and efficient transport system can help improve the competitiveness of a region. In recent years, people have become more aware of the negative impact that transport can have on our quality of life and environment through noise and air pollution. Also, as peoples’ lives and trade become more globalised, carbon emissions from transport tend to increase. This contributes to global climate change and is one of the major challenges faced by transport policy.

What is Yorkshire Forward’s role on transport?

Yorkshire Forward is not set up to fund and deliver transport services, however we recognise that transport is important to our regional economy and quality of life. We do not get involved in every transport issue in the region as our role is to focus on transport at the regional level. Our role is therefore to:

• Influence others, including Government and transport providers, to persuade them of the need for transport investments that support our regional economy and minimise negative environmental impacts
• To work with Local Authority and other transport partners around the region to achieve consensus on transport priorities and the use of regional transport funding (see more on Regional Funding Allocations below)
• As a last resort, we have made investments in the region’s transport priorities where there has been a pressing need and no alternative funding source

Why can’t Yorkshire Forward fund new bus or rail services all round the region?

Public transport services in the region are generally operated by private sector companies. In many cases there is a public subsidy from Local Authorities, Passenger Transport Executives and the Department for Transport directly. It is the responsibility of these organisations to co-ordinate and fund public transport services in the region. Our role is to influence them to the benefit of the regional economy.

Who is in charge of transport in the region?

There isn’t one single organisation with responsibility for transport in the region. Funding of transport infrastructure such as the motorway and rail networks comes from Government via the Highways Agency and Network Rail respectively. Local Authorities have responsibility for the local road network and some public transport in their area, though services are almost always operated private companies. The Metropolitan areas in West and South Yorkshire have Integrated Transport Authorities which are political bodies which oversee local transport planning.  They are supported by officers of the Passenger Transport Executives, Metro and South Yorkshire PTE. They are responsible for public transport co-ordination and funding in their areas. Ports and airports are generally privately owned and operated. The private sector also makes contributions to transport funding as part of the land use development/planning permission process.

What are the Regional Funding Allocations and what is the role of the Regional Transport Advisory Board?

The Government gives English regions the opportunity to advise it on how about 30% of the national transport budget should be spent. This is known as the Regional Funding Advice (RFA) for transport and it covers expenditure on local transport major schemes, maintenance and minor works.  Under the new regional governance arrangements, Yorkshire Forward has lead regional responsibility for transport. We will work closely with Local Authorities through Local Government Yorkshire and Humber to ensure the region gets the most out of the RFA process.

What is Yorkshire Forward doing about reducing CO2 and other harmful emissions from transport?

Government policy seeks to tackle this issue through encouraging greater use of flexible and home working, increased usage of public transport and car sharing and more efficient fuel consumption of vehicles. We will seek to influence Government spending decisions to ensure that transport investments in the region address both economic and environmental issues.

Yorkshire Forward has funded a number of transport projects that help the economy and minimise carbon emissions in the region. These include:

• Working with Metro and Northern Rail to provide 12 additional train carriages in the Leeds City Region to reduce rail overcrowding and prevent additional car journeys
• Working with Network Rail, Associated British Ports and Hull City Council to improve rail access to the Port of Hull. This will encourage more freight through the port to travel by rail
• Working with Metro, JobCentre Plus and Local Authorities across West Yorkshire to provide travel planning advice to employers and help job seekers back to work using public transport
• Working with Carplus and Local Authorities to help develop car clubs across the region. Car club members tend to emit considerably less carbon than those who privately own a car
• Working with Metro and Leeds City Council on the Transport for Leeds project to address how transport supports the city’s future economic prosperity

I want to use public transport more but it is expensive, what can I do?

Bus and rail companies sell season tickets which tend to work out cheaper if you are a regular traveller. If you’re under 18 or over 60 you may qualify for discounted bus and rail travel. In both cases, contact your local public transport operator, local authority or if you live in West or South Yorkshire, Metro or SYPTE, for more information visit www.wymetro.com and www.travelsouthyorkshire.com.

Private car transport is generally convenient for a lot of people and can, on the face of it, appear cheaper than public transport. It’s important to consider though the fixed costs or overheads of owning a car when considering which mode of transport to use. Depreciation, road tax, insurance, servicing, wear and tear and fuel can all add up to a considerable sum and for many people, particularly those who don’t do a lot of mileage, car transport can work out more expensive when all costs are taken into account. Why not consider joining a car club to supplement public transport use?

What is Yorkshire Forward doing about improving conditions for freight transport in the region?

Freight transport plays an important role in our economy. The Yorkshire and Humber region contains the UK’s biggest ports complex in the Humber Ports which indirectly support thousands of jobs in the region in port related logistics and distribution sectors. Yorkshire Forward has invested directly in improving access to the Humber Ports. We will seek to influence Government and others to ensure that freight transport infrastructure in the region receives adequate investment.

My journey to work is often delayed by congestion, what is Yorkshire Forward doing about it?

Congestion causes harm to economies through inefficiency in the transportation of goods and people. It is also harmful to our climate through the production of unnecessary carbon emissions. Cities tend to be worst effected, with Leeds being the worst affected major city in the region. Yorkshire Forward is working with Leeds City Council and Metro on the Transport for Leeds project. Transport for Leeds is a study looking at ways of tackling congestion in Leeds through investment in better transport systems. It could result in a funding bid to the Department for Transport’s Transport Innovation Fund to support transport improvements identified by the study. If Leeds’ bid is successful, the city could benefit from significant investment in new and improved transport.