Report: Towards a 15 Minute Neighbourhood

By Liz Jeffries and Matthew Hill

This conference, held on Zoom, took place on Sunday 22^nd November and was sponsored by Headingley Festival of Ideas (HFI); Headingley Development Trust (HDT) and Zero Carbon Headingley (ZCH) Around 30 people attended.

Introduction

Isobel Mills, Co-chair of HDT, opened the conference, and amongst other comments, acknowledged that Headingley as a 15 minute neighbourhood, reflected the vision of HDT when it was formed in 2005 and effectively took the same ideas forward into the future.

The Leeds situation

 Cllr. Peter Carlill (Lead Member for Active Travel, LCC and Chair of Active Travel, WY Combined Authority) gave a presentation about what was happening currently in Leeds as a whole. He focused on Leeds’ aims to make public transport available within a 15minute walk for all; to make travel affordable and sustainable and to reduce private vehicle use by another 20%. He also described Leeds’ new transport strategy which will soon be out for consultation. This will have as its vision the idea of Leeds as a city where you don’t need a car and where low carbon transport is a ready option for all, either via public transport, or through walking and cycling and where Leeds’ use of land aims to position things where people can access them.

Already in place or currently being developed are some active travel/low traffic neighbourhoods, where amongst other initiatives, road closures are being introduced. Hyde Park, including the Cardigan Triangle, is one of these areas. Research elsewhere suggests these measures lead to an overall reduction in traffic.

What’s happening in Headingley

Matthew Hill (Zero Carbon Headingley). ZCH, initiated 2 years ago, aims to promote action around carbon reduction. Three key transport themes to emerge include traffic congestion and HGVs; air pollution; and getting around Headingley quietly and accessibly. A local survey conducted this year indicated strong community support for many measures to support these aims (see ZCH website for details). ZCH can support proposals that further these objectives and aims to have regular meetings with relevant councillors and officials to prioritise certain measures e.g traffic calming.

Questions were taken by Cllr Carlill and Cllr Walshaw relating to the issues raised so far.

Break out groups and their suggestions

1. Travel – renaming Otley Road ‘Headingley High Street’ and reclassifying the A660 as the B660; introducing a congestion charge; diversion of HGVs round the ring road; filter traffic lights for cyclists; introduction of shuttle buses.
   
2. Low Traffic Zones – promoting 3 specific LTZs in Headingley; encouraging positive responses to the new Hyde Park LTZ via the Commonplace website; agreeing criteria for future LTZs and making better use of dead ends around closures e.g through fruit tree planting and mini street parks.
   
3. Greening up Headingley – identifying walking routes that promote positive features and producing a ‘green map’ of Headingley; exploring ideas to ‘rewild’ the area; creating a green cycling route and pedestrian path from Lawnswood into the city.

Summing up of conference and Q and A session with Neil Walshaw, chaired by Warwick Turnbull.

‘The 15 minute City’ –  a piece by Peter Spafford, poet and songwriter, who attended the conference brought the conference to an artistic conclusion.