York should bring back trams to help cut congestion and improve air quality.
That’s the radical transport vision of the York Green Party. And now is the right time to do it, says leader Andy D’Agorne.
“While the council has mostly focused on promoting electric vehicles – and following Green pressure is now committed to having all electric Park&Ride buses – we feel that we need to reduce traffic and congestion, not just rely on cleaner vehicles,” he told YorkMix.
“Modern electric trams are more efficient and permanent than bus routes as a long-term investment, with the mostly dedicated routes enabling them to avoid traffic congestion.”
Follow Sheffield
York could follow suit, said Cllr D’Agorne:
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One option for York would be to follow this model, in part using the existing railway lines serving Strensall and Haxby to the city centre in a similar way.
There might also be potential for new spur line potentially serving the community stadium at Monks Cross, a halt at York Hospital and a new line out to the university campus and on to the proposed major settlement at Elvington.
Not cheap
“Even Highways England has said that the congestion impact for the A64 of the York Central site alone is unacceptable.”
Funding would have to come from a bid to government through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which funds other transport projects in York, Cllr D’Agorne said.
Already £34m is being spent increasing the capacity of roundabouts on the ring road and a similar amount is available for the York Central access road, removing Queen Street bridge and improving the station frontage.
Better for our health
Much of the poor air quality is caused by diesel fumes from vehicles, putting residents’ health at risk and damaging the environment.
Cllr D’Agorne said:
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While electric buses are a step forward, trams don’t need charging facilities and are more energy efficient, with larger capacity for peak time travel.
The experience of Vauban near Freiburg in Germany was that a settlement of 5,000 households now has over 70% of households car free because of the confidence on a good tram link to the city.
Although the tram wasn’t completed in time for the first residents, car ownership went down once it was in place.
York trams – a brief history
1909 The electrification of the trams began
1910 An electric tram service was opened from Fulford to the city centre
1913 Lines were opened from the railway station to South Bank
1916 Trams run along Hull Road and Haxby Road
1914 York corporation authorised to introduce both motor-buses and trolley-buses (buses powered by electricity from overhead cables)
1934 A joint committee of the corporation and main bus operator the West Yorkshire Road Car Company was established to operate services
1935 Services are provided by motor-buses alone: the trolley-buses were withdrawn in January and the trams in November that year
Source: History Of York website
Photograph: Explore York Libraries & Archives
Fantastic idea. I work in Sheffield and their trams are great, so much better than buses. York will be an absolute mess in the future unless we get cars off the road.
I think this is a fantastic idea, we are in desperate need of something different. Even if York has “green cars” it’s still a car & hence it won’t impact the congestion in a positive way. The public need a reliable, efficient way of commuting in & around York that will also remove the number of vehicles on the road to ease congestion. Short term pain for long term gain is my thinking on this.
Nice one Andy. This was my contribution to the Local Plan. I did a detailed route plan from ‘Whinthorpe’ or whatever it might be called to Hes East, though the west campus, along Hull Road/Lawrence St, pst the Barbican, Piccadilly, Eye of York and then over the Ouse to go up Nunnery Lane to the station and into the Teardrop site. Spur along James St along to the hospital using the existing Route 66 cycle path which would still be able to be used as that, as a single track tram track would fit with the path alongside, with some passing places for two-way traffic.
However, since then I’ve had a rethink. I believe that an overhead-suspended monorail would be better. Less infrastructure, less problem with fighting for space with existing traffic – the gondolas would come down to street level for station stops, and be above bus/lorry height for the route which it would share along the roads. The tourists would love it! Locals would use it instead of their cars. Could be extended to a park-n-ride to replace buses on that route.
If I’m elected in May I will push for a feasibility study on this.
This will never happen with city of York Council. Over the last 25 years at least it has been discussed but nothing ever happens. Reinvigorate York was the theme. Many cities with trams were cited as the way forward but as usual with this council nothing ever happened. Great plans for the City have been discussed at countless meetings involving many organisations, people and consultants and probably millions spent but NOTHING done. Party politics always gets in the way and fewckuncillors have the necessary vision and commitment
Some great innovative ideas from John as usual, but Jim Welsman’s analysis of of York’s “walking dead” – Councillors and Officers, is the reality. There are a few exceptions but without a real overhaul , maybe at the next election, we don’t have much hope.
Vote for John Cossham and any others who can “think out of the box” and maybe listen to to any other innovative members of the public.