West Yorkshire Innovation Festival – Delivering on Mass Transit for West Yorkshire
With a population of three million and an economy of £69.6 billion GVA, the Leeds City Region remains the largest metropolitan area in Europe without an urban transit system (WYCA). In 2021 the election of a new Mayor for the region saw a new impetus to deliver a new mass transit system. The government has secured funding to help deliver on this aspiration (including identifying the scheme in the latest Growth Plan for 2022).
This session explored further the technology needed to plan for, deliver and maintain such as sizeable infrastructure project. Our panel also looked at the data from using mass transit and how it can be improved and impact other services, driverless vehicles, the potential for smart cities, how user experience is built into developing a system, and what the successes and lessons learnt from other initiatives are.
Speakers
- Steve Birdsall, CEO, Gaist
- Ashley Feldman, Programme Manager, Transport and Smart Cities, techUK
- Liz Hunter, Interim Director of Policy and Development, West Yorkshire Combined Authority
- Cllr Shabir Pandor, Leader of Kirkless Council and Chair of WYCA Business, Economy and Innovation Committee
- Matt Robinson, Head of Nations and Regions, techUK
techUK – Building Stronger Local Economies
techUK champions the tech sector throughout the UK. We work with local authorities, devolved government, and local and national policy makers to advocate for the tech sector in strengthening economic growth and resilience. We provide opportunities for our members and local stakeholders to meet, build relationships, and collaborate to drive forward local projects. For more information or to get in touch, please visit our Nations and Regions Hub and click ‘contact us’.
