Baildon Neighbourhood Plan (2026-2040)

7.0 Objective 2 - Transport Comment

Introduction

7.1The steep terrain in Baildon, combined with poor public transport poses problems for residents, commuters and businesses. Many residents like to walk or cycle but the hilly terrain is a challenge for many and a major drawback. The area’s topography, therefore, means many residents rely on using private cars which means that retaining public car parking is a priority.

7.2It is accepted that Baildon should play its part in the national and regional policy to reach net zero, as set out in the proposals from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) to reach net zero by 2038. It is further accepted that Baildon has a contribution to make to net zero by 2038 and the priority areas identified within Bradford Council’s Climate Action Plan 2025 to 2028.

7.3The Neighbourhood Plan proposes that in Baildon this means delivering improvements to public transport which will facilitate the modal shift away from private cars, also moving to electric vehicles as rapidly as possible and enhancing opportunities for walking and cycling (active travel) wherever the opportunity arises.

Background and Justification – protecting footpaths and encouraging walking.

7.4The Baildon Plan, first put together by Baildon Town Council following much public consultation in 2011 (and reviewed in 2019), included an aspiration for Baildon to achieve the designation of becoming a Walkers are Welcome town. A steering group of residents with a keen interest in walking and the countryside was established and set out to demonstrate that Baildon met the criteria for achieving national designation.

7.5In 2013 Baildon was awarded Walkers are Welcome status, thanks to its fantastic countryside location and abundance of routes for walkers of all abilities. Baildon Town Council strongly supports Walkers are Welcome through grants and partnership working. A number of heritage trails (16) and walks (24) have been identified in the neighbourhood area by the Baildon Local History Society and Baildon Walkers Are Welcome that seek to encourage walkers to visit the area. Many of these routes also involve the use of the existing Public Rights of Way (PROW) network. Details can be found on the Baildon Walkers Are Welcome website.

7.6Footpaths include ginnels, snickets and cut throughs within the Village Centre, PROW and other signed and unsigned pathways within the surrounding countryside

7.7Footpaths are of great importance for schoolchildren of all ages together with their carers in the case of younger children. Given the severe traffic congestion in approaches to schools and the desire to embrace healthier lifestyles, it is of great importance to preserve and enhance existing footpaths to encourage the greatest usage.

7.8Footpaths can provide access to a diverse range of users giving access to facilities and services as well as bringing inclusion, health and wellbeing benefits to users.

7.9Titus Salt Secondary School is a school of 1,463 pupils, located opposite Roberts Park on Coach Road Baildon. It is the main secondary school to serve Baildon, although it has a catchment area much wider. Many hundreds of pupils walk daily to school from around Baildon, and a major thoroughfare is along Cliffe Avenue, down to Green Road, along to the junction with Thompson Lane. At several points the “desire line” takes a route across uneven grass meadows/ green space. Part of this route passes through Baildon Green Conservation area and along Dixon Mill Lane. Where footpaths exist, they are narrow.

7.10Baildon has an extensive Public Rights of Way (PROW) network that connects different parts of the existing built-up area to one another and lead out into open countryside within the wider neighbourhood area. These provide routes for local people for inclusive access to local services and facilities as well as opportunities to access the countryside for leisure, health, wellbeing and recreational purposes. Several routes in Baildon are historic, linking paths e.g. Low Fold, Nidderdale Way, Tong Park and Dixon Mill Lane, which remain a chosen way to get around. There are also historic paths that follow the line of 17th century bridleways. These include Dixon Mill Lane, Pack Horse Trod/Ladderbanks Lane and The Colliers Track. Many of these historic routes form part of the area’s existing PROW network.

7.11Baildon is served by Baildon and Saltaire railway stations with direct services to Bradford from both, and to Leeds from Saltaire. Baildon Station needs to become a Rail and Bus Transport Hub with bus services re-routed via the station and a Mobility Hub to improve active travel opportunities for pedestrians and cyclists. Saltaire Station is accessible via the footbridge over the River Aire from Roberts’ Park in Baildon. Although Shipley Station has train services to more destinations, it is only easily accessible from Baildon by car or train.

7.12Many housing developments and estates have footpaths, ‘cut throughs’ and rights of way designed in them and are very well used pedestrian ways for the community to move around the hilly terrain of the village. On occasion these important footpaths have been obstructed by new developments as they have lacked protection.

The Airedale Way

7.13Part of the Airedale Way runs through Baildon. The whole Airedale Way is 76km in total starting in Leeds City Centre and culminating at Malham Tarn. The idea behind the Airedale way is that it “provides a link between Leeds and the Yorkshire Dales by following as far as possible, riverside paths”. Other than a deviation to cross Gill Beck Bridge, and one to leave the River Aire’s edge at the side of B&M Retail Store to cross Baildon Bridge to pick up the sculpture trail towards Saltaire, the Airedale Way route clearly sticks to the riverside pathways of the River Aire. It is an important and well used route which needs to be protected.

Historic Footpaths

7.14Due to the past industrial history of Baildon, there are a number of ancient or historic footways which still are used today. These routes provide a direct link to the social and economic history of the Baildon community. Notable examples include:

• Dixon Mill Lane: the footpath alongside the Tramway, which predated the building of Saltaire and provided a route to the original Dixon Mill and then was part of land purchases by Titus Salt. The path can be tentatively dated to at least early 1600s.
• Pack Horse Trod: This bridleway follows the path of very ancient routes from prehistoric times. With the extension of the clothing industry in the 17th century, the traffic was very much increased. Trains of packhorses conveyed the cloth to the markets, which necessitated better roadways. Many of the old soft tracks were therefore covered with flat stones two or three feet in width, which enabled the horses to get a secure footing. So, this path can tentatively be dated to the mid-1600s.
• The stone path ascending to the top of Baildon Moor known as the Colliers’ Path – a track to service the coal mining industry on the Moor.
• The many folds and ginnels which connect residential streets in the Baildon Conservation area.

Background and Justification – supporting and encouraging cycling.

7.15Baildon is a destination of choice for leisure cyclists of all ages. The Connectivity Infrastructure Plan of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), the Bradford Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan and the ‘Cycle Baildon’ Strategy 2021 have at their heart significant improvements in the level of cycling. Bradford Council’s Map of Paths encourages people to use appropriate paths for cycling connectivity.

7.16Extensive UK-wide research has also been undertaken by the sustainable transport charity the Walk, Wheel, Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans) to focus on three challenges to make places better for people and the environment:

1. The climate crisis – How fewer cars and more people cycling can make places better
2. Social inequality – The role of cycling in making mobility more equitable
3. Inclusive cycling – Cycling should be a genuine choice for all people Sustrans Report ‘Bike Life’ 2019 (https://www.sustrans.org.uk/media/5942/bikelife19_aggregatedreport.pdf)

7.17There is an opportunity for Baildon to transform the role that cycling and walking can play in tackling the challenges we face:

• Improved cycling provision requires the provision of first-class infrastructure and on-road interventions and investment in features such as speed controls, new walking and cycling paths and these will require some major investment.
• Cycling could become the transport mode of choice for Baildon residents who wish to shop, commute, travel to school, take their children to school, visit local facilities, and travel to and from the railway station. This inevitably leads to a reduction in car use, congestion, pollution and ill health, thus benefiting all local people.
• All the above measures would benefit horse riders. Although small in number, it is important to maintain long established bridleways allowing horse riding both for transport and recreation.
• All developments must consider people using wheels to get about – wheelchair users, buggy users and electric accessibility scooters.

7.18However, barriers to cycling include the traffic, the hills and access to safe and signed cycle routes. Baildon has a challenging topography. Electric bikes might be the solution for many. Strong connections with the local parts of the National Cycle Network (NCN) are also key e.g. the canal towpath route to/from Leeds and the Canal Road Greenway (NCN Route 66) and upstream from Shipley towards Keighley (NCN Route 696).

7.19There are two Baildon Policies to support this area: Walking and Cycling and Footpaths and they promote active and healthy lifestyles, increase journeys by walking and cycling and reduce the need to travel by private car and support proposals for multi-modal transport solutions.

7.20The Town Council seeks to work with Baildon Walkers are Welcome and CBMDC’s Countryside and Rights of Way Service.

Background and justification – improving public transport by train and bus.

7.21Baildon is chosen by many due to its easy connectivity to nearby cities which provide employment. However, whilst the town benefits from the major Leeds Bradford Airport only 4 miles away, its own railway station and an hourly bus service along the Otley Road, the poor service provided by this infrastructure suggests that there is significant suppressed demand with people choosing to use cars as the alternatives are impractical for their needs. This leads to huge congestion. The Airedale corridor along Otley Road which is a main arterial route for the Aire Valley is very heavily congested with road traffic.

7.22The steep gradient of Baildon Hill means that for many, car, taxi and bus transport underpin their ability to enjoy local retail and community facilities. Walking uphill to local shops and services is impossible for many.

7.23Public transport provision in Baildon is infrequent and results in transport poverty and social isolation for many residents without a car (19% of Households in the neighbourhood area do not have access to a car (2021 Census)), especially in the evenings and on Sundays, and limits access to work and education. The poor services result in overreliance on car travel along these very congested routes.

7.24Informal consultation in Spring 2022 highlighted several transport service issues. Suggestions included:

• More frequent and reliable buses, especially down Browgate
• More electric vehicle charging points around Baildon.
• More car parking on Coach Road
• Bus stops should be indented into the lower Ian Clough car park adjacent to a new light- controlled crossing.
• Improved public transport – ideally, we need more small minibuses circulating between the Centre, station and all areas of Baildon.

Travel by train

7.25Baildon Railway Station provides direct fast train services for Baildon’s 17,000 residents (more than Ilkley) to Bradford, Shipley, Guiseley and Ilkley but since 2020 passenger numbers have reduced due to three events: Covid-19, the five-month landslip closure from February to June 2024 and the reduction in daytime off-peak services from half hourly to hourly. Baildon Station would attract many more passengers with better bus feeder connections, the restoration of half hourly training services and better connections for Leeds at Shipley and Guiseley stations.

7.26Baildon railway station is in the south-east of Baildon, meaning that most residents face a steep walk up and down the hill to access the train. Due to space and access problems, bus operators have so far been unable to bring a bus service directly to the station.

7.27Hence Baildon Station’s location towards the lower edge of the settlement makes it inaccessible for many residents and the current timetable for the hourly Monday to Saturday daytime bus service on Station Road provides very poor connections with the train services. The large area of housing on the south side of the Station (Hoyle Court area) can only be accessed on foot by a steep path and steps. The unstaffed station does, however, have a small car park at the main entrance on Station Road. The historic station building has been privately owned since being sold by British Rail many years ago.

7.28Friends of Baildon Station (FoBS) was formed in 2016 to seek improvements to both the station and the services provided there. This group has worked in partnership with Northern Rail and has had considerable success in seeing station improvements including a new ticket machine, passenger shelter, community noticeboards, CCTV, tactile paving and planting to make the station look attractive and welcoming.

7.29Unfortunately, efforts to improve the service provided have been less successful. Following the decline in rail travel after COVID, the service frequency has been reduced by Northern Rail and consequently, so has footfall. In addition, the line has seen a closure of five months due to landslip in 2024 and numerous closures for engineering work as work to extend the platforms at Bradford and Shipley has been undertaken. Passenger numbers provided by Northern are as follows:

7.30The station provides services to Bradford Forster Square and Ilkley along a single line. It is a vital transport link for many hundreds of school children who use the train to access Guiseley High School and Bradford Grammar, as well as lesser numbers to Ilkley Grammar and other schools, Due to the closures many families have had to make alternatives travel arrangements which frequently involve the car.

7.31A key campaign objective for FoBS is to improve the connection for passengers from Baildon seeking onward travel to Leeds. With an off-peak hourly service from Baildon and often a half hour’s wait at Shipley, the excellent three-minute journey by train into Shipley station remains unattractive, with the result that cars drive to Shipley increasing congestion and reducing air quality.

7.32Baildon's steep hillside location above the River Aire and the position of Baildon Station makes access to train services difficult for most local residents. Bus services need to be re-routed via the station and safe step free active travel routes created from both sides of the station for pedestrians and cyclists. E-cycling offers considerable potential here. Poor connections times to/from Leeds at Shipley and Guiseley often double the travel time between Baildon and Leeds. Saltaire Station for Baildon residents in the Coach Road area is only accessible by the footbridge over the River Aire from Roberts’ Park but does offer direct services to Leeds and Skipton.

It is therefore important for bus and active travel options to be enhanced to facilitate journeys between Baildon Station and both Shipley and Guiseley Stations.

Travel by Bus

7.33Baildon does not have a bus station but the covered area on Northgate adjacent to ‘the Stocks’ is widely referred to as the bus terminus, with a bus-only layby allowing brief halts in the schedule and an important turning circle for buses. Passengers have shelter under the canopy while they wait, and Baildon’s only real time bus display was installed in 2024.

7.34The layout of Baildon’s Village Centre is considered in Objective 6 but it important that in any proposals to change bus arrangements there is no detriment to passenger facilities from those provided now – shelter and information.

7.35Baildon Village Centre’s main bus route to Shipley and Bradford City Centre is via Green Lane and Coach Road, but most other parts of Baildon are poorly served by bus. Bus stops and shelters are widely varied with many bus stops in exposed locations and with no bus laybys due to the narrow roads. There are several older stone bus shelters, especially along Otley Road and these should be preserved.

7.36Low frequency bus routes link the following:

• Lucy Hall Drive and West Lane via the village centre
• Holden Lane and Station Road to Shipley and Bradford
• Otley Road with Bradford, Leeds-Bradford Airport, Guiseley and Otley
• Via the village centre to Charlestown, Otley Road, Tong park and Esholt.

Background and justification – improving the road infrastructure and moving to safer, greener car travel.

7.37Baildon lies mostly to the north of the single carriageway A6038 Otley Road, which sits towards the southern edge of the settlement boundary, and provides links to Shipley and Bradford (to the south) and Menston, Guiseley and Otley (to the north and northeast). It is connected to Baildon Village centre by the single carriageway B6151, which runs south from Browgate roundabout. Several minor, narrow roads run north from the Village centre across Baildon Moor, providing links to Bingley and Ilkley. All road traffic towards Shipley and Bradford, and along the direct route to Bingley, is funneled across the only road bridge across the River Aire for 10km, located at the Baildon- Shipley boundary. This creates a major bottleneck and huge traffic congestion with a negative impact on air quality. The nearest alternative road bridges across the River Aire are in Bingley (3.5km to the west) and Apperley Bridge (6.5km to the south-east) and much further by the circuitous road alignments.

7.38Baildon’s road infrastructure is totally inadequate for 17,000 residents reliant on just one road crossing at Baildon Bridge over the Rover Aire to Shipley and Bradford via the A6038/A657 Fox Corner Junction. This bottleneck creates severe traffic congestion that backs up frequently on Otley Road and Baildon Road and makes for unreliable and delayed bus services and is unsafe for cyclists.

7.39Whilst accepting that the need for private car travel will remain, the following strategies should be developed to enhance the quality of life for all:

1. Reduce congestion on roads by improving and promoting public transport to enable as significant modal shift away from cars (as above)
2. Improving safety of roads by the creation of 20mph zones in the village centre, around schools and on residential roads
3. Reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality by:
   • Increasing the provision of electric vehicle charging points
   • Using signage to reduce engines idling in high traffic areas especially near schools
4. Support infrastructure improvements which improve roads and pedestrian and cycle safety
5. Maintaining public car parking provision to support economic activity – see Policy 23.