Reconnecting Yorkshire

Our Transport Policy

for a stronger Yorkshire in a fairer Contents

INTRODUCTION 4

WHERE DEVOLUTION FITS IN FOR YORKSHIRE’S TRANSPORT 5

YORKSHIRE’S DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT 6

YORKSHIRE’S TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE 9

CYCLING 15

AIR TRAVEL 16

RAILWAYS 19

SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS 24

FUTURE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENTS 27

YORKSHIRE MAYORAL ELECTIONS 28

CONCLUSION 28

2 Policy Title Here Transport Policy 3 Introduction Where Devolution Fits

Yorkshire is suffering from a massive disparity in funding when compared to London in for Yorkshire’s Transport and Scotland. Over five years (2012-2017) Yorkshire only received £3,341,619 Billion in funding for all its railways; while at the same time London received £24,949,257 1 Devolution is the first step to take in addressing the massive amount of transport Billion and Scotland received £5,145,449 Billion. The North-South divide surrounding poverty that affects everybody within Yorkshire. The situation of transport within transport is visible, and its effects are extremely damaging. The Independent published Yorkshire requires urgent and immediate intervention, or the County risks further a report in 2016 showing that the disparity per capita by region between London and 2 collapse to its public infrastructure. The U.K.’s Department of Transport is overly Yorkshire was at £1,622. This situation since 2016 has got increasingly worse with bureaucratic, remote and fails to understand the issues of Yorkshire. Devolution and many areas in Yorkshire suffering from a lack of electrified rail, mass congestion on the creation of a Yorkshire Assembly would help address many of the administration the roads and a lack of a reliable bus service for many areas. and funding issues currently faced by all Councils across Yorkshire. A Yorkshire Assembly will provide a local body, with a positive direction for transportation. Yorkshire requires not only improving to the London standard, but it needs to surpass and be maintained at a higher standard. Many areas of transport have been The infrastructure for transportation within Yorkshire is abysmal, underdeveloped ignored, such as more efficient freight transport and future environmental planning. and not prepared for the future. This has transpired due to several factors including Ultimately, Yorkshire requires a reliable transport network, reconnecting all areas of lack of funds, administrative control being dominated by Whitehall, neglect and Yorkshire, allowing rural and previously economically bountiful tourist areas to grow ultimately a deliberate abandonment of the infrastructure in the North of once again. If Yorkshire fails to adapt and improve our transportation infrastructure, as a whole. Like Scotland and Wales, a devolved Yorkshire Assembly will gain control we risk devastating effects upon our local and national economy. of all areas of transportation within its borders and will work closely with external agencies for cross-boundary travel.3 Whether travelling within Yorkshire, passing Public transportation will become an even larger necessity as the U.K.’s population through or travelling away from the area, the journey of the individual or freight is increasing at a rapid rate and growing older. Public transport shapes our lives should take place seamlessly. every day, for many it is their only form of transportation to the doctors, shops and a connection with the outside world. We owe it to every single man, woman and child within Yorkshire that they have regular, easily accessible and reliable public transport services. No more should the vulnerable and the poorest of our society struggle to attend work or access their local centre of amenities and facilities, whether it be a village, town or city.

The policy areas outline the Yorkshire Party’s vision for the future. The policy will provide our vision for the future of Yorkshire’s public transportation services. Providing a safe and efficient transport system no matter what method people prefer.

1 Regional disparities and economic rebalancing: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmtrans/582/58206.html 2 Government spends six times more per person on transport in London than the North, new figures reveal: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/north-south-divide-transport-spending-government-theresa-may-chris- grayling-crossrail-london-a7177656.html 3 http://www.assembly.wales/NAfW%20Documents/tb-08-004.pdf%20-%2028072009/tb-08-004-English.pdf

4 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 5 Yorkshire’s Department of Transport

The Yorkshire Party will work towards creating Yorkshire’s Department of Transport (Y.D.T.). This would operate in several ways:

• A Yorkshire Assembly would take overall control of administration and funding allocation for all transportation within our boundaries. This would include maintenance, upgrades to existing developments and future planning initiatives.

• A Yorkshire Assembly would take over, consolidate and simplify all existing request routes for councils regarding transportation issues. These issues would be dealt with locally in the Yorkshire Assembly and councils will be able to meet and solve issues face-to-face with the Y.D.T team (Yorkshire’s Department of Transport) if the need should arise.

• Democratic accountability- Members of the Yorkshire Assembly will be accountable to Yorkshire voters.

• Issues, developments and planning permission regarding transportation will have their processing time vastly reduced due to its local, more streamlined approach. The main aim of this will be to reduce the time taken gaining approval and planning, reduced to a practical, streamlined approach lasting a matter of months. The embarrassing situation seen in the HS2 scandal should never be allowed to repeat.

• Creating a standard of consistent excellence within the sphere of transport across Yorkshire. Quality for citizens and customers using the transport systems within Yorkshire should be happily satisfied with the service they receive.

• Remove Yorkshire’s transport poverty, improving and securing our transport for future generations.

• Create a “Fair Fares” scheme for all public transport in Yorkshire, providing affordable and accessible transportation for all.

• Yorkshire, Pay Less for Late, refund scheme for pre-paid tickets and price reduction for on the day purchases. If the service is fifteen mins late get 50% off or 50% refund. Thirty minutes or later it is free, or the full price is refunded - refunds claimed online and in staffed stations.

The Yorkshire Department of Transport signifies developed decision making away from London. It will not take away responsibilities from local unitary authorities but act as a unifying organisation enabling seamless co-operation and development throughout Yorkshire involving all local authorities in their respective areas; for example, the Combined Authority.

6 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 7 Yorkshire’s Transport Infrastructure

Roads across the U.K. are expected to hold over 2 billion cars by 2040.4 To ensure that Yorkshire’s roads are safe, secure and modernised, serious investment must be undertaken. From potholes and road quality to the lack of public service, all areas must be addressed to create a future-proof and reliable transportation system for the public. Transport currently accounts for 25% of the world’s global greenhouse emissions but Yorkshire’s transport emissions can be significantly reduced and services improved, through investment in the latest technology.5 The following subsections contain the Yorkshire Party’s vision for the corresponding areas:

CARS, MOTORCYCLES AND PERSONAL TRANSPORT

• The Yorkshire Party will focus on improving public transport, reducing the number of cars currently on Yorkshire’s roads.

• Yorkshire Party will pressure the U.K. Government to ensure that electric vehicles in the U.K. have a standard set type of charging plug for slow and quick charging. This will simplify the electric infrastructure and ensure all E.V.s produced can be easily charged in all U.K. fuel stations by 2050.6

• A Yorkshire environmental scrappage scheme will be introduced for cars manufactured before 2011. Owners with cars dating from 2010 or older will be offered a set trade-in value of £2,000 towards a newer, more economical and more environmentally friendly vehicle of their choice. This will only be available to Yorkshire residents and will be compatible with any car manufacturer scrappage schemes that are currently active in Yorkshire.7 However, the Yorkshire Party will push for the system to be introduced nationwide. All scrapped vehicles will be recycled and dealt with by accredited and trusted scrapyards. This scheme will be in place for two years, with an aim to reduce the older car population in Yorkshire by 50%. A review will be held at the end of the two years to decide if the scheme has been effective enough to continue or if any changes should be made.

• The Yorkshire Party will strongly encourage vehicle manufacturers, along with the U.K. government, to ensure all future carbon-based vehicles will accept E10 by 2021 and E15 by 2045. Manufacturers will have to make sure these fuels can be used without hindrance to the reliability of the vehicle.8 E10 fuel will be implemented across all of Yorkshire by 2021 with E15 following in stages until its final roll out in 2035.

• All Taxi companies in Yorkshire will be expected to go electric by 2030.

4 https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/who-we-are/keep-advancing/future-of-transport/dual-challenge-in-transport.html 5 ibid. 6 https://www.nichevehiclenetwork.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ACR_LCVSUPP-final.pdf 7 https://www.buyacar.co.uk/cars/292/2019-car-scrappage-schemes-the-best-deals 8 https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/emissions/what-is-e10-fuel-and-how-could-it-affect-you/

8 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 9 • The Yorkshire Party will encourage electric vehicle manufacturers to set up their production, development and sale facilities in Yorkshire. For example, Rivian, Ford, Volkswagen and Tesla.9 This will provide an economic boost to our area, providing jobs and education opportunities for citizens in Yorkshire.

• Current punishments for careless and dangerous drivers within the boundaries of Yorkshire will be doubled, raising the maximum sentence for careless to 10 years and dangerous to 28 years.10 Uninsured and unlicensed drivers will receive severe and regular sentencing, including a minimum £2,000 fine, five years in jail and six penalty points to a maximum punishment including lifetime disqualification, an unlimited fine and jail time.

• The Yorkshire Party would encourage a review to be held regarding motorway speed limit and the possible raising to a set standard of 80mph.

• The Yorkshire Party will pressure the U.K. Government into holding a review upon the testing procedure and insurance rates, especially for new drivers.

BUSES

• All existing bus services must go fully electric by 2030.11

• Additional routes and services will become operational within the first six years of the Y.D.T. These routes will aim to provide a reliable and regular bus service linking all hamlets/villages to their closest town/city while helping to ease congestion on existing bus service routes in major Yorkshire cities and towns. The routes will also provide a reliable service for all educational centres in Yorkshire that require a bus service for their pupils.

ROAD TRANSPORTED FREIGHT

• The Yorkshire Party will encourage the U.K. government to upgrade and future proof the freight industry in all areas across the entirety of the U.K.

• All Yorkshire based HGV Manufacturers and logistics companies must be operating Zero Carbon vehicles by 2040 (ideally Electric or Hydrogen fuel cells). Numerous companies, including Tesla, Daimler, Volvo and DAF, have already started concepts and designs of electric trucks that will surpass existing diesel and hybrid vehicles.12

9 https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/; https://rivian.com/ 10 https://www.brake.org.uk/what-s-happening/10-take-action/1188-crackdowncalls 11 https://airqualitynews.com/2019/04/04/electric-buses-in-harrogate-to-be-free-on-sundays/ https://www.baesystems.com/en-us/product/series-e?gclid=Cj0KCQjwho7rBRDxARIsAJ5nhFo2OMyewvlGUcj961AYic2jxHn2 AvoE_fqxRLG2IAbKIqcmkQYZbVcaAtWfEALw_wcB 12 https://www.daf.com/en/about-daf/innovation/electric-and-hybrid-trucks https://www.daimler.com/innovation/case/electric/efuso-2.html https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/semi?redirect=no

10 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 11 • Fully electrified, traditional charging vehicles such as those from companies like • All SMART Motorways (existing or future) will be equipped with a “Hard- Tesla and DAF provide some clear advantages over infrastructure dependent Shoulder”, where possible, to reduce risk to life. For example, an existing systems such as that of the eHighway by Siemens13: SMART motorway with four lanes will see a hard shoulder constructed in addition to its existing lanes; if this is not possible the fourth lane • They do not rely on new infrastructure, saving millions on investment, will be turned into a permanent hard shoulder. Whilst maintaining the maintenance and upgrades. benefits of traffic flow, accident and road-work response flexibility which are provided by the SMART system. • They do not require a hybrid engine, thus reducing oil and fuel usage. • The Yorkshire Party will not endanger the lives of road users; in situations • Electric advancement in vehicles drastically reduces running and where the above is not possible, additional methods will be explored to maintenance costs of each vehicle. mitigate risk to travellers.

• If implemented across Yorkshire, fully-electric trucks could see Yorkshire’s • The Yorkshire Party aims to triple the number of electric charging points within logistics industry become carbon neutral. 18 months of its election date. All service and fuel stations within Yorkshire must have at least four fast charging (150 KW+) power points – for example, B.P.’s • Smaller and lighter freight transportation vehicles will be fully electric by 2035. ChargeMaster stations – along with four standard charging points (50 KW+) for electric vehicles by 2030.16 This number will be doubled for major service and fuel • Yorkshire Party is committed to reducing the amount of freight upon Yorkshire’s stations by 2040. roads by relieving the pressure through increased railway and maritime use (this includes canals and rivers). This will help reduce the pressure upon Yorkshire’s • The Yorkshire Party will continue to support and encourage the U.K. Government highway to rapidly improve the electric vehicle infrastructure and National Grid across the country. INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN YORKSHIRE • All-new affordable housing, property developments within Yorkshire will be • Invest the £1.04 Billion required to bring Yorkshire’s roads up to standard (AIA required to include off-street parking along with a home charging point for electric suggest it will take nine years to complete).14 Work with Local Authorities to ensure vehicles by standard.17 For existing properties, the Yorkshire Party will continue budgets are raised to be in line with the rest of English and Welsh Authorities. supporting the OLEV grant from the U.K. Government which saves up to £500 on the purchasing of a home charging system.18 • Road conditions in Yorkshire need drastically improving. Damage to Yorkshire’s roads, including potholes, urgently needs repairing and actively preventing. This • All logistical distribution centres in Yorkshire will be required to have suitable can be achieved through implementing the latest in modern technology such as and adequate charging stations at their premises for electrified logistical vehicles the Ecotechnic Road System, currently being trialled in Europe.15 Alongside using by 2040. modern porous surfacing construction methods, which have been proven in the USA for over 40 years, the following must also be implemented:

• Stop the current patch and mend approach to Yorkshire’s roads as it does not provide value for money, nor will it improve the underlying structure and resilience of the road.

• Roads within Yorkshire must be upgraded to deal with the increasing amount of traffic, and regularly maintained.

• All motorways within Yorkshire will be upgraded to the SMART standard, and their boundary will be lined to prevent noise pollution from travelling into built-up areas. This can be done with barriers, trees or hedges.

16 https://bpchargemaster.com/ultracharge-150/; https://bpchargemaster.com/ 13 https://new.siemens.com/global/en/products/mobility/road-solutions/electromobility/ehighway.html 17 https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/support/home-charging-installation 14 AIA 2019 Yorkshire and Humber findings 18 https://evchargingsolutions.co.uk/home-charging-station/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwho7rBRDxARIsAJ5nhFolGjCosq_V4NdCordMN- 15 https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/sites/roadsafety/files/pdf/projects_sources/nr2c_final_report.pdf TLdBkoBZF4qIqJZ9-G_x3BTzQkbEa-khsaAhMHEALw_wcB

12 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 13 Cycling

To help reduce the number of incidents involving road users and cyclists within our County the Yorkshire Party is committed to reducing and removing the causes of these incidents at their roots while providing suitable and fair punishment to those who break the law.

• Children will be given mandatory cyclist classes throughout their education.

• Key Stage 2 - consisting of safety and an introduction to cycling, the rules of the road for cyclists, bicycle maintenance (for example, visibility devices and wheel conditions), how to cycle in a group, indication of turning, how to overtake safely, and safety near other road users, e.g. horses, motorbikes, cars and vans.

• Presentations from local police forces to discuss theft prevention and road safety will take place. U.V. markers will be offered to children who wish to mark their bicycles, helping the police to identify the bike and its owner if reported stolen.

• Key Stage 5 - a refresher for the students before they leave education.

• All major cities and towns will be required to create separate cyclist lanes, especially near educational centres such as Universities and student accommodation. The style of cycle lanes that the Yorkshire Party advise is the style of Manchester Oxford Road- which has been a great success. This style of lanes, physically separate from other road users and pedestrians, massively reduce the chance of incidents between commuting individuals.

• To ensure all those using the roads are protected adequately, the Road Traffic Act 1991 needs updating for the modern cyclist.19 We would encourage the U.K. Government to double the maximum fines for careless and dangerous cycling and raise the jail time from 2 years to 5 years for those causing bodily harm while cycling. The aim of this would be to protect other cyclists and road users while acting as a suitable deterrent and helping to reduce crime linked to bicycles.

• During poor visibility and weather conditions, cyclists will have to wear a high visibility jacket alongside the expected reflectors and lights upon their bike. Individuals refusing to do this would be open to being charged with careless cycling by the police. Riding without a helmet would be charged as dangerous.

• The Y.D.T, once established, would offer cyclist training for individuals who wish to purchase the tutored courses, or have been assigned to attend. These training courses will also be given in addition to any cyclists charged under the 1991 Act as mandatory; failure to attend would result in an additional fine. These will operate in a similar way to speed awareness courses. 19 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cycle-safety-laws-new-kim-briggs-death-warning-against-witch- hunt-a7960291.html

14 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 15 Air Travel

The Yorkshire Party and the Y.D.T will work with Yorkshire’s two Airports (- Bradford and Doncaster) to encourage greater security, environmental investment and quality of service for passengers.

• We encourage the airports to invest in railway or PRT connections to their local cities and towns, helping to reduce passenger numbers travelling by road.

• Airports and airlines are strongly encouraged to start offsetting their emission and environmental impact within Yorkshire. This could be done through planting trees or investment in environmentally friendly technology (including public transport or electronic freight upgrades) across Yorkshire.

• Doncaster- Sheffield airport would be required to match Leeds-Bradford’s disposal of waste, which currently stands at being 100% recycled or recovered.20

• The Yorkshire Party would encourage the U.K. Government to apply an environmental tax upon all long-haul flights to help combat global warming. This tax revenue should be directly re-invested into improving the environmental sustainability of other areas in the U.K., such as power production or public transport services.

The LBA Road has now been cancelled. The Yorkshire Party welcomes the design to scrap the LBA road scheme, which the Party has campaigned against since its founding year, 2014. The Yorkshire Party recommends the following in its place:

• A parkway rail station adjacent to the airport, connecting the Harrogate line via tunnelling. In addition to serving LBA, this station would take several hundred cars off the road every day, easing congestion on the A658, A65 and elsewhere.

• The Yorkshire Party supports the new LBA terminal design, which is designed to yield net-zero emissions for on-ground airport operations as early as 2023.

• The application also includes a request for the ‘day’ phase of flights to start from 6 am instead of 7 am. The Yorkshire Party does not support this and will seek legal assurances that this does not lead to an increase in ‘night’ operations which would increase noise and environmental pollution in neighbouring residential areas.

20 https://www.leedsbradfordairport.co.uk/about-leeds-bradford-airport/our-responsibility http://dsa.aero/about-us/environment/waste-management/

16 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 17 Railways

Yorkshire’s railways are currently wallowing in a state of neglect, lacking even the vision for the correct modernisation required for our system to deal with the ever- increasing demands efficiently. The Yorkshire Party’s policy for Yorkshire’s railways comes down to three key areas; Modernisation, Reconnection and Protection for the future.

• All passenger lines within Yorkshire will be electrified by 2030. All remaining lines (except for heritage steam and infrequently used diesel lines) will be electrified by 2035.

• Companies operating in Yorkshire will have to upgrade their compensation systems for customers, allowing a quicker, simple and more streamlined system for citizens to use.

• HS2- The Yorkshire Party does not support this project, its price or the damage it has caused. We support the principle of increasing rail capacity for passengers and freight while reducing travel times. However, the current project has been poorly planned and mismanaged, with an evident lack of budgetary control. There is uncertainty whether HS2 will ultimately include the planned Yorkshire section.

• The Yorkshire Party commits £39 billion to HS3 connection- Fully funding Northern Powerhouse Rail. HS3 must abide by the following points:

• It is genuinely a high-speed rail connection from Hull to Liverpool. • The U.K. Government allow a Yorkshire Assembly to take control over the production of the line within Yorkshire boundaries, thus ensuring planning and construction of the line can be monitored on a local basis. This will ensure issues that have plagued HS2 will be removed via a democratically responsible local body, which has a massively increased connection to the communities in its affected area, to form a suitable and efficient line.

• The Yorkshire Party, within the format of a Yorkshire Assembly, would work with the rest of the U.K. Government and other regional assemblies to open new freight railway lines, allowing more freight to travel by rail and not on the roads over long distances.

• Reversing Beeching’s cuts and other line closures within Yorkshire. This would be a process starting during the formation of the Y.D.T. This would arguably be the most ambitious railway expansion ever taken within Yorkshire. This would reconnect rural and urban population centres within Yorkshire, revitalise coastal holiday destinations, reconnect Yorkshire with the rest of the U.K., take more cars off the road and improve quality of the train service.

18 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 19 • The lines would be reopened either using Rail or PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) systems for lines that could not hold traditional infrastructure. PRT links would be solely for public use, not for freight.

• Rail track beds of former railways and adjacent key sites (e.g. stations, access points) will be protected from further developments.

• Lines that we are committed to reopening in either Rail or PRT form, depending on their unique situations, may not follow original routes but will provide a modern alternative to reconnect these communities:

• Ripon Line including Harrogate to Northallerton, Ripon and Church Fenton. • Boulby to Whitby linking Saltburn to Whitby • Reinstate Passenger services in Saltburn-Brotton-Skelton-Skinningrove- Loftus, Boulby Potash Mine, Hinderwell. • Whitby – Scarborough (through Ravenscar, Robin Hood’s Bay). • Whitby – Middlesbrough and link to Boulby.21 • Malton – Pickering. • Guisborough – Nunthorpe. • Otley Loop & Arthington- reduce the load on Leeds station by by-passing it. Provide park-and-ride reducing congestion. • Station adjacent to LBA (close to Leeds-Bradford Industrial Estate), providing park-and-ride to Leeds. • Relocate Great Ayton Station closer to Great Ayton centre. • Save the New station park-and-ride scheme and link the station better with bus services. • The Party would also open another station closer to Pudsey town centre. • Expand York Station from two lines to six. This would be necessary if the improvements are made and hence traffic through York is greater. It would also facilitate freight. • Expand Hull Station- allowing the station to take freight and increase traditional lines by two to account for new lines. • Wetherby to Crossgates. • Bardsey and Collingham. • Ilkley to Skipton. • York to Beverley. • Skipton to Colne. • Calverley and Rodley Railway Station.

Additional lines that may be considered are (subject to review):

• Hull to Hornsea (through Wassand, Sigglesthorne and Swine). • Hornsea to Beverley and Hornsea to Withernsea. • Bradford and Low Moor to Cleckheaton, Dewsbury and Wakefield. • Castleford to Garforth, Thorpe Park and Leeds.

21 https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/18490764.boulby-rail-link-efforts-continue/?ref=rss

20 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 21 HERITAGE RAILWAYS

The Yorkshire Party will work with the heritage companies across Yorkshire, helping to protect the educational and tourism benefits that our county gains from these heritage attractions.

• The Yorkshire Party is committed to removing unnecessary bureaucratic barriers to linkages with conventional rail networks, promoting the economic and tourism benefits of heritage rail. This will allow normal commuter services to runon heritage lines and heritage locomotives to use normal lines.

• We are committed to reopening the Pickering-Malton line. This would effectively link the National Railway Museum in York (which supports live steam) to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, creating a steam superhighway. Since it would include such destinations as York, Whitby, Grosmont and Goathland (the setting for the TV series “Heartbeat”), the steam superhighway would boost tourism. It would also facilitate steam services to Scarborough.

• The Yorkshire Party is committed to working with steam heritage companies (such as the NYMR, YWR) ensuring these companies can continue to operate their services.

• The Y.D.T will work with the heritage railways to ensure the railways become carbon-neutral, offsetting the carbon costs in several ways, including annual tree planting.

22 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 23 Shipping and Waterways

MARITIME

• The Yorkshire Party would be the voice for the maritime industry in our County, bringing the economic benefits back into Yorkshire.

• Significant investment would be made into all Yorkshire-based Ports along the East coast.

• Investment in the shipbuilding industry to allow Yorkshire to compete against ship production centres across the U.K., such as the Clyde, for Royal Navy and U.K. based projects. The Yorkshire based shipbuilding industry would help revitalise areas along the East Yorkshire coast. Working hand-in-hand with companies like BAE, Babcock alongside the Royal Navy to bring more job opportunities to Yorkshire, while supporting British Steel and allowing cities & towns like Hull, Middlesbrough and the Tees to revitalise their maritime links.

• The Yorkshire Party commits to addressing the concerns of Yorkshire maritime companies, no matter their size to help develop and future proof their businesses.

• Promote economic and technological investment into Yorkshire based ferry companies, ensuring they improve reliability and quality of service, invest in serious environmental improvements and commit to improving their port security to maintain safety to passengers.

• Where possible, the Yorkshire Party will work with Local Ports and Harbours to invest, improve and even expand areas. Ensuring Yorkshire ports maintain and improve security and environmental protocols, thereby allowing the already high standard of service that is delivered to be safeguarded for the future.

• The Yorkshire Party will monitor Free-Port proposals as they develop and will explore their employment in the future for the region’s benefit.

CANALS AND RIVERS

• Increase the amount of freight transported by canals and rivers.22 The Leeds Inland port projects could see up to 200,000 tonnes of freight traffic taken off the roads.23 These proposed plans should be considered across Yorkshire, where possible, to increase the amount of freight taken off the road.

• The Yorkshire Party will work closely with the Canal and River Trust to increase the number of visitors and tourism in the industry.24 Further development will be given to increasing waterway taxis, where possible.

22 https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/business-and-trade/freight 23 https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/news/the-time-is-right-to-increase-freight-by-water 24 https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/business-and-trade/boating-business

24 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 25 Future Research and Development Investments

This section looks at the future of transport within Yorkshire. Research and development will allow Yorkshire to lead the U.K. in a technological revolution for public transportation. The future technologies of which we are committed to monitoring the development are:

HYDROGEN FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY

This has already been researched to a massive extent and shows increasingly positive results.25 However, issues remain that need solving and investigating further. These issues do look like they can be addressed through future research, and we should ensure this development continues.26

HYPERLOOP

This future transport system, when finally working, will herald the largest revolution in public transport since steam-hauled trains, reducing travel times from Leeds to Manchester to just seven minutes.27 Currently, the Virgin and Space X’s versions are in development and testing stages.28 The Party will monitor this developing technology’s potential, but it can only be genuinely capitalised on if the costs are substantially reduced for this currently uneconomical technology. The Hyperloop could provide a unique solution to the pressing issues surrounding freight transport.29

BIOFUELS

Future engines used in hybrid or traditional style vehicles must be able to accept Biofuels as standard. Unleaded petroleum vehicles must be able to use E type petrol.30 This must be done to remove current issues existing in vehicles caused by using E10 fuel.31 This will help reduce road emissions.

Additional research must be undertaken into biofuel production.32 This must include other sources such as Algae, Soybean and even waste fat.33 Equally important is reducing production costs while increasing the production yield of the fuel.

25 https://greengarageblog.org/11-big-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-hydrogen-fuel-cells; https://connectusfund.org/15-hydrogen-fuel-cells-advantages-and-disadvantages; https://physicsworld.com/a/fuel-cells-environmental-friend-or-foe/ 26 https://press.siemens.com/global/en/pressrelease/siemens-and-powercell-collaborate-fuel-cell-systems- ships?content%5b%5d=PoC 27 https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/leeds-to-manchester-in-seven-minutes-why-the-hyperloop-is-the-future-of- public-transport-1-9779356 28 https://www.spacex.com/hyperloopalpha; https://hyperloop-one.com/ 29 https://trl.co.uk/sites/default/files/TRL%20Academy%20Symposium%20Report%202018.pdf 30 https://www.lowcvp.org.uk/projects/fuels-working-group/RED-2020-fuels/e10-market-preparation/e10-petrol.html 31 https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/emissions/what-is-e10-fuel-and-how-could-it-affect-you/ 32 https://www.eniday.com/en/technology_en/the-future-of-biofuels/ 33 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-40599491.

26 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 27 Yorkshire Mayoral Elections

The Yorkshire Party will address transportation issues (alongside others) involved in the current proposed Devolution Deals in a separate specialised document for each of the proposed deals. These specialised documents will become available once the full remit of information including powers and funding has been released.

The current West Yorkshire Devolution Deal is at the consultation stage and the Party will be calling for more powers and funding, as well as greater clarity on issues regarding topics such as that of transportation. Conclusion

The transport situation within Yorkshire is currently on a tightrope that is in danger of collapsing. The changes this policy seeks to implement should only be the start and a solution to the pre-existing problems our County has faced for decades. The Y.D.T’s creation is primarily for one reason - to never allow the current situation to occur again.

The Yorkshire Party is committed to meeting present-day demand while continuing to update and invest in transport technologies for the future. The transportation solutions within this policy would enable Yorkshire to make a massive leap towards being a Net-Zero Carbon emissions County by 2030.

Yorkshire deserves better than the current shocking state of transport across our region. This policy forms the first steps for Yorkshire’s true transportation potential to be unlocked as we look towards a brighter future.

28 Reconnecting Yorkshire Yorkshire Party Transport Policy 29 Email: [email protected]

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