Transport | Karen Bruce

Leeds loves Andy Burnham

Campaigning, Education, Environment, Equality, Family, Health, Labour Party, Leeds, Older People, trade union, Transport, Young People Comments Off

Aug 212010

On Monday event with Andy Burnham took place in Leeds. As Andy’s regional director I got to organise and host the event.

Thanks to @pennyb for the photo.

Great feedback for Andy from Leeds with lots of twitter comments and this great email I thought I’d share:

I really enjoyed Andy Burnham’s presentation and questions last night. I am impressed. He came across as genuine. He has obviously thoroughly thought through his politics. He will definitely be getting my first preference. If only more MPs were like him. He is a breath of fresh air in a climate of career politicians. I will put a donation for his campaign in the post.

@laidbackian: Had a great night with @andyburnhammp in Leeds. He has a passion for the Labour Party unmatched by the other candidates. #andy4leader

@stephenjtowler: Andy Burnham excellent in Leeds tonight. Why would you not vote for him?

@khutchinsondean After event tonight finally getting off the fence and backing @andyburnhammp for leader; most authentic, credible and fresh thinking choice

@laidbackian: Great night with @andyburnhammp in Leeds. He has a passion for the Labour Party unmatched by other candidates. #andy4leader

@Emma_Hoddinott: Saw @andyburnhammp last night in Leeds. Was very impressed with his ideas on Labour Party reform.

@christophe_read: Spoke to @andyburnhammp last night about my Young Labour report -he’d seen it & was v much along same lines. Top bloke.

@LauraPony: Pleased @brianahaha is also putting @andyburnhammp as first preference following event in Leeds last night #andy4leader

@LauraPony: Excellent evening listening to @andyburnhammp then eating lovely Italian food with fantastic family

@MagsNews: Andy Burnham – great guy. Met him in Leeds yesterday evening. V genuine and cares passionately about the party… My second preference!

@KatRRose: Enjoyed meetng @andyburnhammp in Leeds, @ed_miliband‘s better civil liberties 1st pref, but Andy Burnham is cool prob 2nd pref

@alexsobel: RT @KatRRose: Enjoyed meeting @andyburnhammp in Leeds, @ed_miliband 1st pref but Andy Burnham cool prob 2nd pref -prob me too

New high speed vision for our trains

Environment, Transport 1 Response »

Aug 062009

It’s refreshing when the good news actually reaches the front pages of our newspapers and it was good to read on the Guardian’s front page that the government is to target short-haul flights in its aim to provide a new 250mph high speed rail network. In my opinion, this is a move in the right direction, if rail is a faster option for people then they will use it. Flying for short journeys not only costs the environment, but with checking in and getting to and from outlying airports, it can be a long process. Lord Adonis, the transport secretary has said that if we make it a national priority it is affordable and if we don’t, then it is not. There has been a backlash from the airlines (as you would expect) as they don’t want to lose business but we have to move forward both in terms of providing world class transport and carbon reductions. This is certainly an ambitious and exciting project.

Rail Link Nationalised

Elmet and Rothwell, Transport Comments Off

Jul 012009

It’s a disgrace that National Express have relinquished the London to Edinburgh route now they are having a tough time of it. When times were good National Express reaped the benefits of running the line. I’ve always thought that privatisation of the railways was wrong and that a poorer service has resulted for passengers. I worked in various roles for West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive for 14 years so saw first hand the disastrous effects on our transport of first the deregulation by the Conservatives of the bus services and then the privatisation of the railways. Now the government has had to pick up the pieces. The transport secretary, Lord Adonis, said the contract will be put back up for auction to private companies at the end of next year but it is expected to fetch much less than £1.4bn, leaving the state with a gap in its rail budget. I’ve been astounded at the prices charged on this line, the complicated booking system which means that to get the cheapest fares, not only do you have to book online but also need to split your journey! At least we can celebrate it being in public ownership in the short term, even if it might have to revert back to the private sector.

Promising news for Elmet and Rothwell cyclists

Elmet and Rothwell, Environment, Garforth, Leeds, Transport Comments Off

May 292009

A new bike link between Garforth and Temple Newsam is being proposed to encourage local people to ride their bikes more often as Garforth Today reports. Leeds Bike Week (from June 13) will see a range of schemes put forward. Let’s hope this means fewer people will use their cars and add to the congestion we see during the school run and people taking advantage of the sunshine this summer to improve their fitness and pumping out less fumes into the air too!

Safety concerns over axing of Elmet and Rothwell night bus

Campaigning, Elmet and Rothwell, Transport, Young People Comments Off

May 052009

It’s a blow that bus company First has axed two Leeds night buses including the 921 Leeds – Swillington, especially as this could compromise public safety. The story is in tonight’s Yorkshire Evening Post. I would have thought that with the recession more people would be in need of public transport. I would be very interested to know how widely the service has been promoted to potential passengers before the axe fell?

When I was a councillor for Garforth and Swillington I always campaigned for improvements to public transport and was pleased to have fought for my constituents best interests for example a Swillington bus re-routed to serve sheltered housing, so older people didn’t have a long walk to get to a bus stop, and getting bus shelters as some of our older folk were being battered by wind, hail and rain.

Many of us feel that Leeds has been getting a raw deal on public transport under the Conservative and Lib Dem Leeds City Council who are not fighting our corner, and this is just another deterioration of our services!

Older people benefit from Labour

Environment, Health, Housing, Transport Comments Off

Mar 142008

I was very pleased to see in the budget this week that Alistair Darling gave a substantial increase to the winter fuel allowance, £250 from £200 for the over-60s, and from £300 to £400 for those above the age of 80. This will benefit 9 million pensioners. Older people should be valued and the Labour Party recognises that.

Free bus travel in England is on its way. Pensioners and disabled people in England are to get free off-peak bus travel anywhere in the country which I think is a wonderful thing to get older people out. The government are investing £250m a year for the scheme.

Alan Johnson, the health secretary has said plans would be unveiled to let elderly married couples live together in residential care as when a couple have lived all their lives together they should not be forced apart at the end of their lives.

Labour’s new strategy Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods

Includes new standards for all new homes from 2013, meaning that developments are age-friendly and incorporate 16 key features such as wider doors, improved bathroom design and staircases big enough to facilitate stair lifts.

From 2011 all new social housing will be built to the ‘lifetime homes’ standard.

Additionally to support older people in their current homes, a national rapid repair and adaptations service will be backed by £33 million in investment to enable an extra 125,000 people every year to get repairs and changes to their home, allowing them to live independently.

It’s great to see so many initiatives coming from the Labour government to help our older folk.

In stark contrast, locally in Leeds where we have a coalition of Tories and Lib dems running the council, they are hitting the most vulnerable in our communities again in their budget by increasing meals on wheels charges, home help charges and cutting vital home help for hundreds of our older people as well as putting council tax up to at least a whopping 4.7%.

Procession of vehicles form demo on Leeds Road

Transport, Young People Comments Off

Sep 192006

A demonstration was staged yesterday by the Leeds and Wakefield Road Residents Action Group (LWRRAG). We gathered at 8am in the car park at the Stepping Stones pub in Rothwell. There was lots of media interest in the event and reporters and photographers from the Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Evening Post were present. Look North and Calendar were also there filming.

The event went very well with around fifteen cars taking place in the procession which drove around the Leeds and Wakefield Roads (A639 and A642) for an hour with specially made ‘not a rat run’ flags fixed to the cars and a lorry which was covered with the banner ‘this is not a rat run A639 and A6342′. Graham Mortimer, one of the residents on the road, did a great job getting the lorry banner and flags done, they looked great, partiularly the lorry, well done!

The council’s failure to act on residents concerns, even to take the concerns seriously, smacks of treating us with contempt and we’re determined that something will be done about the speeding cars tearing through and lorries using the roads as a rat run when they should be using the motorway.

The biggest killer of young people is road traffic and although it’s a 40mph road, vehicles tear past at 70mph. We don’t want our young people to be in danger, so action has to be taken.

Today’s Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Evening Post both cover the demo along with a picture of the lorry in all its glory!

Toddlers help with Rothwell Road Safety Campaign

Transport Comments Off

Aug 292006

Concerned Leeds and Wakefield Road Residents Action Group LWRRAG members have been out monitoring traffic over the last few weeks, including some who did a stint on bank hol Monday, that’s what I call commitment! The use of the SID did slow vehicles down, which shows that if such measures as speed cameras were introduced, it would make a significant difference. The use of the SID also highlighted our campaign once again with an article in last night’s Yorkshire Evening Post.

Rothwell traffic toddlers capture the nation

Transport, Young People Comments Off

Aug 152006

Twin toddlers Thomas and Samuel Gregory have not only captured the nation’s hearts with reports on their escape from their garden on to the busy Leeds Road, and have appeared in newspapers such as The Daily Mail, The Mirror and The Sun. Their close shave has actually helped to highlight our long running campaign to stop speeding cars and lorries rat running through Rothwell making our roads much more dangerous.

Hunt to find mystery Rothwell hero

Transport Comments Off

Aug 122006

The twin tots of one of our action group members were saved from the dangers of the speeding traffic on Leeds Road in Rothwell. The story about the stranger who brought the toddlers back to safety is on the front page of tonight’s Yorkshire Evening Post. If you’re the man who saved Thomas and Samuel, Susan and Mark Gregory, the relieved parents, would like to thank you properly. Perhaps you know who the hero is, the man is described as being 6ft tall, slim with dark skin, if you think you know you can e-mail me at karen@karenbruce.co.uk and I will contact Mark for you.

Mark has been campaigning with us as a member of the Leeds and Wakefield Road Residents Action group to stop speeding traffic on the road, which has a speed limit of 40mph but vehicles regularly travel at 70mph.