Promoters of the Leeds Supertram bid have slammed an 11th-hour demand to consider a new scheme.
Leeds Council leader Cllr Mark Harris told Surveyor he was ‘appalled’ by transport minister Derek Twigg’s Tuesday demand for a new study, and questioned whether there was any money available for a major scheme. He said: ‘It was suggested we should have been looking at beefed-up quality bus initiatives and, at this late stage, we should now carry out a study into this.’
Harris said no mention had been made during a March meeting with transport secretary Alistair Darling that a guided bus route alternative should be investigated.
An earlier study had shown bus improvements would not deliver the same benefits as a tram.
‘We’ve agreed to urgently carry out the quality bus study, which will be reviewed in September.
‘Supertram will be dead if we don’t have a decision then – we won’t have enough time to purchase land.
‘There is a slight suspicion that there is no money available’.
Meanwhile, promoters of the South Hampshire tram have requested an urgent meeting with Darling to find out why a decision has not been reached. ‘This may mean we have to take financial risks such as committing to extra funding costs’, said project director Steve Nicholson.
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