Over Reliance, Why I'm Concerned about Leeds Transit Future 

You can tunnel through old workings (see Tyne & Wear Metro) but you have to accept that this will increase costs.

@@pmberry Yes you can tunnel through old works if you know where they are. The problem in Leeds is that many of those old works are unmapped. The Lofthouse Mining disaster occurred because they didn't know there were water filled old workings near by.

@@pmberry you don't seem to grasp the nature of unrecorded mine workings. These mines are hundreds of years old and in all probability filled with water and that is the danger. The former NCB didn't know where they were. They stopped working them because of geological difficulties so even using geophysical tools you would struggle to identify which were due to a geological issue or an old mine issue.

HS2 to Leeds would've freed up space on the lines and resulted in more stopping there. Sadly once again cancelled.

Yeah, it would have. Not only for the freight services that often get routed via the Airedale Line but also its would give Leeds station a big increase in general capacity all-around with intercity services being elsewhere, but alas we all know that its been canned.

Elevated tram systems need space to house the support pillars that hold the tracks. That space simply isn't available without causing major disruption to other transport users. Leeds simply doesn't have the space to introduce such a system. There is also the rather large problem that Leeds has major rail lines running straight through the middle of it. Rail lines that in the main are built on embankments and require existing traffic to go under bridges. So elevated metros would create the problem that people moving north-south would have to leave one metro and walk to get onto another metro.

There's a Wiki page showing the old tram routes. You can tell because these roads today are wider than others. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeds_Corporation_Tramways

Leeds used to have trams but they were closed because they simply couldn't keep up with demands as they are not flexible as to where they can go and most of Leeds roads simply aren't wide enough to accommodate both trams and other road users.

So what's your suggestion for modern mass transit in Leeds since you have so many comments on this video?

@@Wagoo There are no easy answers as the former town planner for Nottingham has gone on record as saying. As there is no possibility of knocking down huge numbers of existing housing then all that can really be done is utilising what is already there. So for example the old Marsh Lane Station could be reopened and the former goods yard to the side be turned into a terminus station. This would give improved access from the east and reduce pressure on the A64. It would also mean that more trains could be used on that line as they would not have to go into the main station. There would however need to be more parking created at stations to the east to encourage drivers to use the train rather than their cars. I would also build a system of gondolas in the city centre that linked City station to the bus station and on to the new Marsh Lane station This would be unique and would allow passengers on that system to see the fine architecture along Boar Lane the Corn Exchange and down Kirkgate. The gondolas could go up the Headrow and down Park Row creating a circular route. In the past much of the industry in Leeds was in the suburbs, Barnbow in Crossgates, the tailoring industry in Harehills, Kirkstall Forge etc. So I would encourage business not to build in the city centre but rather in the suburbs thereby reducing the need for people to travel into central Leeds during the working day. This would also mean that people's commutes would be shorter. But as I say because of many unique problems that Leeds faces the solutions that other cities have will simply not work for Leeds because of geographical problems or having to reaccommodate huge numbers of people.

Just how long is it since you were last in inner Leeds? Because their are no back to back houses left in inner Leeds they were cleared years ago. Those who now live in inner Leeds are professionals paying very high prices for property either to buy or rent.

@@stephenhodgson3506 If "Inner Leeds" is everything within the inner ring road then there's pretty much all of Holbeck still with back-to-backs.

@@pmberry That would be the case if the ring was not in fact half a ring that exists only north of the river.

@@pmberry so parts of the inner ring road are now doubling up as the outer ring road as well?