FAQs

This project is being led by Calderdale Council. The improvements will be paid for by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority through the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund. We have worked with local people and councillors to come up with our ideas and will carry on doing this as the project develops. 

Through this project, which is to be funded by £8million from TCF and £1million from the Local Transport Plan funding for Streets for People demonstration projects, we want to deliver changes to how people travel across the region by improving our streets. It is an important part of our aims to reduce the number of car journeys to help meet a commitment to become a net zero carbon city region by 2038. Click here for more information about the Transforming Cities Fund programme. 

Calderdale Council has also received funding for a ‘Streets for People’ approach to this project. The ‘Streets for People’ approach looks at a specific area in detail and examines how the streets can be made better places to walk, cycle, use public transport and generally spend time in, therefore helping them to be a healthier and more attractive environment.  

By the time that the project has been completed, we expect that the way people get around will be back to the way it was before COVID-19. More walking and cycling and better public transport will be an important part of achieving our goal of becoming a net zero carbon city region by 2038, so having a transport system ready for the future is important. 
 

We currently expect construction to start in 2022 and finish in 2023. Once we have more detailed designs a contractor will be appointed who will firm up the construction dates. We will work closely with the contractor to make sure that the impact on all users, local residents and businesses is as small as possible, but there will be some disruption from road works. We will work closely with businesses and communities most affected to ensure all works are done with the minimum possible impact. 

We encourage you to take part in the survey and record your thoughts there in questions about the relevant Zone. You can also contact the project team via the YourVoice email inbox (yourvoice@westyorks-ca.gov.uk) or ask us a question using the Q&A tool at the bottom of the project page, and we will get back to you with a reply. 

This project in West Halifax is focussed mainly on walking improvements which will make walking around the area easier and safer for people living, working or visiting here. Some of the traffic calming measures in these ideas will also improve conditions for people who are cycling. Calderdale Council is also working on another project aimed at improving cycling into Halifax town centre from North Halifax, which you can read about and tell us what you think by following this link: https://www.yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/north-halifax-2  

All personal information (such as age, postcode, gender) you provide will be anonymised and only used for analysis of the key findings and trends in this consultation. When we look at the feedback, we separate it by things like age and gender which helps us to understand how ideas may affect different groups of people. This helps us to develop our ideas. You can read our Privacy Notice by clicking on this link (opens in a new tab).  

The Combined Authority is working in partnership with local authority colleagues from Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, North Yorkshire, Selby, Wakefield and York councils on the TCF programme. 

As part of the West Yorkshire devolution deal, the Combined Authority secured £317 million from the DfT’s TCF programme to deliver schemes in the low-cost scenario. Since then, the Combined Authority has approved the use of future gain share funding, alongside other income streams, to deliver the high-cost scenario up to an additional £140 million. This additional funding will help us deliver more transport improvements, which will benefit communities across West Yorkshire.  

This work is more important than ever, not only as we look to address the health and economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in helping us achieve our aim of becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2038. We need to reduce car trips by 21% and increase cycling trips by 2,000%, walking trips by 78%, bus strips by 39% and rail trips by 53% if we are to achieve our ambitious net zero targets in this time frame. The programme will connect people to economic and education opportunities through accessible, affordable, attractive and cleaner transport, boosting productivity and helping to create healthier and happier communities for the future. Through the programme and building on the significant progress already made, we are working in partnership to transform our town and city centres for walking and cycling, improve bus reliability and journey times, and investing in our region to prepare for HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the Transpennine Route Upgrade.  

Communities across Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield and York are set to benefit from the schemes, which include new or improved bus and rail stations, cycling and walking infrastructure, and new Park and Rides. The programme is focused on connecting people in the communities of greatest economic need with job and training opportunities.  This will, in turn, help boost productivity, living standards and air quality.  

There are 22 packages of schemes, comprising of 35 individual projects, within the overall programme. Different schemes are at different stages, right through from the development of business cases and designs, to gearing up for public consultation, with Halifax Bus Station redevelopment due to start on site in spring 2021. Find out more information at www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/TCF   

The schemes funded through the DfT need to be delivered by spring 2023, with schemes financed by local match funding being delivered beyond these timescales. 

To date, there has been minimal impact of the programme as a result of COVID-19.  The majority of the projects are at the early stages of development and much of the work required can be carried out virtually.   As the schemes move to the next stage of delivery, we will continue to monitor the impact and identify any risks to delivery. We are also looking at best practice ways of delivering public consultations and engagement activity to ensure all members of the community get the opportunity to have their say on TCF schemes during COVID-19. The full implications of COVID-19 on the region, the economy and the transport system are still to be understood and the impact on the Combined Authority’s programmes and schemes to date has been mixed. We are working closely with our local authority partners at every level of our appraisal process to ensure delivery timescales have taken into account the current issues and that each scheme is stress tested to ensure its ongoing viability. In the wake of COVID-19 it is more important than ever to assess the changes to the landscapes of our towns and cities, and the impact on current and future planned schemes, particularly, but not exclusively, those relating to transport. The impact of COVID-19 in relation to travel behaviour into and around towns and cities is assessed as part of each scheme’s appraisal. While public transport patronage is currently lower than pre COVID-19 levels, it remains a priority to invest in public transport infrastructure to both help with economic recovery and to have the required infrastructure in place to respond to an increase in demand post-COVID-19.  

A range of options are being developed as part of each business case to determine the best scheme, which will include a range of options up to the high-cost scenario. As part of the devolution deal, the Combined Authority secured £317 million from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) TCF fund to deliver schemes in the low-cost scenario. Since then, the Combined Authority has approved the use of future gain-share funding, alongside other income streams, to deliver the high-cost scenario up to £140 million.  

It will build on the significant investment already made through the Combined Authority’s other programmes, such as the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, Connecting Leeds and CityConnect. Many of the TCF schemes provide enhancements or extensions to the projects being delivered through these programmes, helping to spread the benefits across a wider geography. The programme is focused on connecting people in the communities of greatest economic need with job and training opportunities.  This will, in turn, help boost productivity, living standards and air quality. For more information about the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund visit www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/projects/west-yorkshire-plus-transport-fund (External link) For more information about Connecting Leeds visit www.leeds.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/connecting-leeds-and-transforming-travel(External link) For more information about CityConnect visit www.cyclecityconnect.co.uk (External link) 

The bid was led by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in partnership with the 10 local authorities across the Leeds City Region. It was developed in two stages, with a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) submitted to the DfT in June 2019. The final bid was submitted to the DfT in November 2019. The bid documents can be found at www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/TCF (External link)

The bid was developed in partnership with local authorities across the Leeds City Region, including Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, North Yorkshire, Selby, Wakefield and York. The bid was also co-developed with the DfT, which provided feedback on the plans as they emerged.  In line with other Mayoral Combined Authorities, we are required to feedback on the progress of the programme’s delivery.