Storm Babet’s impact on the region has been widespread, but transport and infrastructure have been two of the worst affected industries. Roads were flooded, meaning diversions have been implemented to keep the city running as smoothly as possible.
Commuters have also had to contend with road closures and building sites as the city continues to grow. Across central Leeds, building sites and barriers are becoming increasingly harder to avoid, making journeys through the city even longer.
There had previously been calls to bring about a clean-air zone in the centre but were waved off by the council after figures showed that pollution rates in the city had not returned to pre-pandemic levels. This may have been due to the change in travel behaviours, such as more people getting public transport.
Also, with these zones becoming more common across the UK, and in nearby cities like Sheffield and Bradford, one in Leeds may still be on the cards. But a clean-air zone may not protect busy areas away from the centre, such as Headingley.
In 2022, the Department for Transport reported that over 4 billion miles had been travelled on Leeds’ roads, showing the importance and business of the city. And with building projects popping up all over central Leeds, this is only set to increase.
Gregory Ford, a senior reporter, showed his concern for the other modes of transport that had been caught up in the storm, “One area that did see a lot of disruption was the train lines, services in and out of the city were severely disrupted by flooding.“
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