The controversial Park and Ride scheme at Elland Road in Beeston was officially opened this morning (18 June 2014).
Councillors Richard Lewis and James Lewis were on hand to cut the ribbon along with Bob Dorr of First Bus. The car park has space for 800 cars including five electric car charging points and cycle parking. Buses will run every ten minutes, whisking motorists on a ten minute journey into the city centre.
The scheme is part of Leeds City Council’s attempt to reduce congestion in the city centre. A second Park and Ride is to be built in East Leeds and the Trolleybus NGT, currently going through a public enquiry, will see park and rides located at Stourton and Lawnswood.
Asked about the impact of the Elland Road scheme on Beeston, Cllr Richard Lewis, executive board member for the economy and development said:
“I’ll be honest, people in Beeston won’t get a lot out of this, they won’t be using the service. But we believe they won’t suffer either. Our traffic studies show there will be little effect on traffic on Beeston’s roads, however we will keep an eye on this.”
Cllr James Lewis, Chair of West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee added:
“We need to reduce congestion to boost economic activity in the city, that will benefit people in Beeston. This is also part of redeveloping what has been a bit of a wasteland here at Elland Road. The Police headquarters is finished, now the Park and Ride and next the Ice Rink will all bring positive activity to the area.”
The Park and Ride will open operationally on Monday 23 June 2014 at 7am. More details about services can be found at: www.wymetro.com/park-and-ride.
