West Leeds Family Practice is fully committed to the principles of sustainable development and seek to provide incentives to influence the travel choices of the employees on site, with the implementation of this Travel Plan. West Leeds Family Practice will also look to promote any successful measures at their other sites which they operate. The strategy will be supported by a range of financial provisions from West Leeds Family Practice and the NHS to ensure its longevity and success.
Travel Plans are long-term management strategies for integrating proposals for sustainable travel into the planning process. They are based on evidence of the anticipated transport impacts of development and set measures to promote and encourage sustainable travel (such as promoting walking and cycling).
Benefits of a Travel Plan
3.1 Benefits to the Local Community
3.1.1 The implementation of the Travel Plan can have the following benefits to the local community:
- By encouraging the use of sustainable modes of travel, a Travel Plan can contribute towards improving the local environment by reducing congestion in the peak commuter periods, including the associated air quality and traffic related noise impacts.
- Ensuring the site can be accessed by a wide variety of travel choices can reduce social exclusion in the local area.
- A reduction in car usage associated with a development can reduce the demand for car parking and provide opportunities to make better commercial use of development sites.
- Use of more sustainable travel choices can contribute towards reducing the carbon emissions associated with transport.
3.2 Benefits to the Organisations
3.2.1 The implementation of the Travel Plan can have the following benefits to Calverley Medical Centre:
- The implementation of a Travel Plan can be used to support ISO14001 certification. Demonstrating a commitment to such environmental priorities can promote a very positive image of an organisation, both internally and externally.
- A Travel Plan can play a positive role in employee recruitment and retention by reducing barriers to accessing employment.
- The availability of alternative modes of travel to single occupancy car journeys ensures a development is accessible by all, therefore increasing the size of the potential employment pool.
- The improved health of employees because of walking and / or cycling can reduce absenteeism and can improve productivity.
- Successful implementation of a Travel Plan will involve liaison between employee and senior management, helping build an effective and open line of communication.
3.3 Benefits to Employees
3.3.1 Travel Plan can bring various benefits to employees, including:
- Health benefits for those walking and / or cycling as a means of transport to and from the workplace. Walking and cycling to work can be effective ways of keeping fit as part of an employee’s everyday routine.
- Financial benefits associated with lower travelling costs of certain modes e.g., walking, cycling and car sharing.
3.4 Benefits to Visitors and All Users
3.4.1 Provision of sustainable transport information will be presented on a dedicated notice board (located within the communal area) and on the Calverley Medical Centre website. Both, of which, will set out all the available travel choices to the development and will allow visitors and all medical centre users to make an informed travel choice with very little effort. This information will be reviewed and updated as required.
Walking and Cycling
4.3.1 Local walk routes and Rights of Way map can be found here:
CALVERLEY MEDICAL CENTRE: 43 UPPER CARR LANE PUBLIC | WSP Project No.: 70090461 | Our Ref No.: 70090461-TP1 April 2022 West Leeds Family Practice Page 9 of 22
Public Transport Services
4.3.3 This Travel Plan has been prepared during the COVID-19 pandemic which has dramatically changed travel patterns in the short-term and, potentially, longer-term. Government policy of ‘social distance’ has led to temporary changes in travel demand and, as a result, public transport operators are operating reduced services at different times to what might be considered ‘typical’ conditions. Table 4-1 summarises the frequency for bus services. Information for bus and rail services have been extracted from timetables prior to the pandemic. Web links have also been provided in this Travel Plan to ensure the latest information can be accessed once services return to post-COVID frequencies.
4.3.4 The nearest bus stop to the medical centre is located along Hollin Park Road, approximately 120m (1-2 minutes) walk from the medical centre. This stop will be highlighted to employees, visitors and all medical centre users given its extremely proximity to the medical centre.
4.3.5 Additional stops are situated at Woodhall Road, approximately 280m (4 minutes) walk and Carr Road which is approximate 500mm from the site which equates to a 6 minutes’ walk and provides accessibility to further services. This Travel Plan will also encourage employees, visitors and all medical centre users to use these stops.
4.3.6 Bus timetables and services can be found here:
4.3.7 The medical centre is located approximately 3.2km from Apperley Bridge rail station which equates to a 10-minute cycle journey. The station is served every 30 minutes by trains to Bradford and Leeds.
4.3.8 The network map and more details can be found at:
4.3.9 Bikes are typically accepted on the Northern trains subject to free space being available. The class 333 trains which usually serve this station have bike storage for at least 2 cycles.
https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/stations/APY
4.3.2 Local cycle routes can also be located here: