Bluebell Gardens Resident Travel Guide

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1 Bluebell Gardens Resident Travel Guide

2 Contents Section 1 Introduction 4 What s in this Guide? 4 Section 2 Walking 6 Walking or scooting to School 6 Where can I get in 25 minutes? 6 Walking map 8 Section 3 Cycling 9 Cycling with children 9 Bikeability training and cycle to work 9 Local cycle network 10 Map of local cycling routes 11 Cycle catchment 12 Section 4 Public Transport 13 Bus travel 13 Free annual MCard for each household 14 Rail travel 15 West Yorkshire Rail Network Map 16 Travel for children, people with disabilities and people 17 over 65 Travel to school 17 Tickets 20 Section 5 Driving 23 Only need a car occasionally? 23 Park and Ride 24 Lift sharing schemes 24 2

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4 Section 1: Introduction What s in this guide? This booklet has been prepared on behalf of Persimmon Homes, and forms part of the Travel Plan for Bluebell Gardens, which aims to encourage sustainable travel use by providing the resources and infrastructure required to make the travel choice that best suits you. Inside this booklet you will find information about: Walking distances and times around the area Suitable cycle routes and options for travelling by bike Local bus services and the destinations served, plus information about applying for a free MCard for use on buses in West Yorkshire and trains in zones 1-3 (one per household) Ideas for more environmentally friendly and economical car usage A Travel Plan Coordinator is available to answer any questions you have about travelling to and from Bluebell Gardens: Emily Ingham Tel: emily.ingham@foreconsulting.co.uk You can also get in touch if you have a disability or mobility issue and require more specific information that is not covered in the booklet. In the future we will be contacting all residents regarding how you travel to work/school/your main activity. This is so that we can check we are providing residents with the resources and information to make sustainable travel choices easy. 4

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6 Section 2: Walking For those who are physically able, walking is a great option for getting where you need to be. You don t need specialist equipment and you don t have to buy tickets or think about parking. It s also a great way to fit exercise in your day and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The map on page 8 shows where you can walk to within 5, 10 or 20 minutes walk. Walking planners can be downloaded from Walking or scooting to school Walking or scooting to school is an easy way of including exercise in children s lives. Morley Newlands Academy is a 7 minute walk and Seven Hills Primary School is a 20 minute walk from the entrance to Bluebell Gardens, as shown on the map on page 8. Where can I get in 25 minutes? The map on page 8 shows that within 5 minutes walk from Bluebell Gardens you can access the White Rose pub and restaurant, as well as bus stops on both sides of the road. These buses take you towards Morley, White Rose Centre and Leeds city centre, and there are more details on page 13. Within 10 minutes walk there is a newsagents and food outlet on Albert Road and within 20 minutes you can get to Lewisham Park and to a number of gyms, newsagents, cafes, pubs and restaurants. Just beyond this, a 25 minute walk can get you to Morley town centre with its shops, library, market, supermarket, leisure centre, GP and dentist surgeries. The White Rose Centre can also be reached in a 25 minute walk. These destinations can all be reached via footpaths and pedestrian crossings. 6

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9 Section 3: Cycling Cycling is a cheap and healthy way to travel to work or for leisure, in fact people who cycle in mid-adulthood enjoy a level of fitness equivalent to someone 10 years younger (CTC, 2015). The map on page 12 shows how far you can get with a 10, 20 or 30 minute cycle. Cycling with children There are two high schools within cycling distance of Bluebell Gardens: Morley Academy (14 minutes) and Bruntcliffe Academy (16 minutes). These can be accessed using mostly residential streets. On busier roads children can walk with their bikes on the pavement if they are not yet confident on the road. Riding with your child is a good way to get exercise for yourself and accustom children to cycling on roads. Advice on cycling with children of primary school age can be found at Go to to plan your route from Bluebell Gardens to your child s school. Bikeability training and cycle to work If you would like to start cycling but are not confident, you could request a cycle training session from Cycle Leeds, see Check with your employer whether they operate the cycle to work scheme. This is a government initiative which allows you to spread the cost of a bike and equipment over 12 months, and there are associated savings on tax and national insurance payments. 9

10 Local cycle network The West Yorkshire cycle map is available online - Any part of the map can be printed and it also works on mobile devices. At the top left of the map there is a link to the cycle journey planner which allows you to choose a route you are comfortable with in terms of how direct and quiet it is. From Bluebell Gardens Morley town centre can be reached on-road via Wide Lane within 15 minutes. A small detour can be taken on Middleton Terrace/ Hartley Street/Gillroyd Parade which are residential streets and likely to be quieter. White Rose Centre and Business Park are within 11 minutes cycle via Dewsbury Road. There are off-road facilities to help cyclists negotiate roundabouts. Beyond this, Leeds city centre lies a minute cycle from the site. From White Rose Centre there is a network of routes leading to destinations in and around the city. An alternative way to get to Leeds is via the off-road cycle tracks leading from the east side of Dewsbury Road just north of the Wide Lane roundabout. This track links with quieter residential streets and on to Route M towards the city centre, featuring signed tracks through Middleton Wood. You can download a map of Route M from the Documents section of uk/residents/pages/cycling-in-leeds.aspx Another option is to continue further east and cycle along Belle Isle Road which has on-road cycle lanes, and signage provided to help navigate. These routes will take longer but may be more pleasant. Page 11 shows the beginnings of these routes from Bluebell Gardens. 10

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13 Section 4: Public transport Bus travel Access to public transport from Bluebell Gardens is very good. You can plan a journey at The buses listed serve the stops on both sides of Wide Lane less than 100m from the entrance to Bluebell Gardens: 214: Birstall Retail Park to White Rose via Morley 220 Huddersfield to Leeds via Cleckheaton, Birstall & Morley; 221: Mirfield/Heckmondwike to Leeds via Batley & Morley; 222: Heckmondwike to Leeds via Birstall & Morley; 223: Mirfield to Leeds via Batley & Morley 65: Gildersome to Leeds via White Rose Centre & Morley Bus timetables are updated approximately twice a year so we recommend looking online or visiting a bus station travel centre to find the most up to date information and to view route maps. For Arriva buses (all services except 65) go to or get the Arriva UK Bus App app. For First buses (65) go to or get the First Bus Travel Information app. This table gives a summary of hourly services from the stops on Wide Lane: Destination Morley White Rose Leeds Bus stop South side of Wide Lane (any bus) North side of Wide Lane (any bus) North side of Wide Lane (all services except 214) Number of services per hour Week day Week eve. Sat. Sun

14 Free annual MCard for each household Persimmon Homes have made funds available to provide one FREE yellow MCard to each household at Bluebell Gardens, preloaded with an annual ticket. These can be used on almost all buses in West Yorkshire as well as trains in Zones 1-3 (see page 16 for map). There are also significant discounts on your second and third annual MCard if you choose to buy one. To obtain an application form please contact Bluebell Garden s Travel Plan Coordinator, Emily Ingham on emily.ingham@ foreconsulting.co.uk or There are more details about MCards on page

15 Rail travel Leeds rail station can be reached by taking the 220, 221, 222 or 223 bus from the stop on the north side of Wide Lane. The buses stop at the Infirmary Street bus point in Leeds which is a 6 minute walk from the station. You can also take the 65 which will drop you at Stop S14 on Whitehall Road, a 5 minute walk from the station. On the way home the 220, 221, 222 or 223 buses can be caught from Stop Z2 on Neville Street (9 minutes from the station), and the 65 from Stop S12 on Aire Street (4 minutes from the station). Leeds is an important station on the rail network, and receives approximately 35 trains per hour, serving Scotland, Manchester, Liverpool, London, the West Country and the east coast, as well as local and regional stations. Morley train station is located 1.5 km to the north west of Bluebell Gardens and has one service per hour to Huddersfield and Manchester and 2 services per hour to Leeds. Unless it forms part of a longer rail journey, it will be more convenient for residents to use the bus to get to Leeds than the train. Morley station can be accessed using any of the Morley-bound buses, with a 12 minute walk from the bus stop to the rail station. Morley station has car parking facilities for up to 15 vehicles as well as cycle storage facilities. Although the station is not staffed it does benefit from having a help point that can be used for both information and emergency purposes. It also benefits from real time audio updates over the public address system. Go to for timetable information or download the National Rail Enquiries app. 15

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17 Travel for children, people with disabilities and people over 65 Children under 5 travel for free on all buses in West Yorkshire and on trains displaying the Metro sign. Children aged 5-10 travel for half fare on all buses in West Yorkshire and on trains displaying the Metro sign. Children aged can also travel for half fare but require a photocard. Residents who are eligible can apply for a Blind and Disabled Pass and then travel for free on all buses or trains in West Yorkshire at any time and for free on buses in the rest of England at off-peak times. Residents aged over 65 can apply for a Senior Pass and then travel for free on all buses in England at off-peak times and for half fare on trains in West Yorkshire at off-peak times. Find out more here or by calling MetroLine Travel to school The following schools can be reached on the buses from Wide Lane, with only short walks (less than 5 mins) between the stop and most of the school gates: Queenswood School, St Francis Catholic Primary and Morley Academy on any Morley-bound bus. Fountain Primary on any Morley-bound bus (there is an 11 minute walk from bus stop to school gate). 17

18 Morley Victoria on the 65 bus. Bruntcliffe Academy on buses 220, 222 and 223. In addition there are a wide range of colleges and universities which can be reached on Leeds-bound buses. 18

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20 Tickets Knowing what ticket to buy can be confusing. Here is a quick guide, and you can find more information at or by calling MetroLine on or by visiting a bus or rail station travel centre. Single bus operators (Arriva or First Bus) All the buses listed on page 13 are operated by Arriva, except the 65 which is operated by First. Arriva and First have the following options for buying tickets: Pay on board using cash - single, return, day and weekly tickets available. Online - day, weekly, monthly and annual tickets available, including options for adult, children, family and students. Go to co.uk/yorkshire/bus-tickets/ (Arriva) or online-tickets (First) Using the apps - Arriva m-ticket app for Arriva and First Bus m-tickets for First - the same ticket types are available as on the websites, but First also does packs of 5 or 10 single tickets. The m-ticket will need activating before travel (you will need access to the internet to do this). The ticket then displays on your phone screen and you show this to your driver. (Continued on next page.) 20

21 In shops showing the PayPoint ( store-locator) or PayZone ( - Arriva only) sign. You can also buy First tickets over the phone Note that these tickets only work on the individual operator s buses. If you want to use your ticket on more than one operator s bus you will need to ask the driver for a MetroDay pass or get an MCard (see below). MCards MCards are credit card-sized and allow travel in West Yorkshire on buses and trains of any operator. The MCard is loaded with travel and all you need to do is put it on the MCard reader on the bus (or at rail station barriers if your MCard covers rail travel too). They are available to cover bus-only travel or for different rail zones depending where you will be travelling. Note that the rail MCards can also be used on any buses in West Yorkshire. Don t forget that each house at Bluebell Gardens can get a FREE yellow MCard preloaded with an annual ticket for use on buses in West Yorkshire as well as trains in Zones 1-3 (see page 14 for details of how to apply). If more than one person in your house wants an MCard you can refer to the table on the next page for more details: 21

22 Where can I get the MCard? Where can I add travel? MCard Colour Use and Ticket Type Bus station travel centre or kiosk Online* PayZone Outlet** Bus station travel centre or kiosk Rail station kiosk (38 stations)*** Payzone Outlet Pink Green Blue White Yellow Adult Day/Week/Month or Student Week/Month/Term Young People's Week/Month Pay As You Go (Bus Only) Adult Annual ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü *MCards online at **Find a PayZone outlet here ***A list of stations where MCards can be topped up top-ups/ - note that at time of writing you cannot top up at Morley rail station. 22

23 Section 5: Driving Driving contributes to high traffic volumes and has a negative impact on air quality and the environment, and affects the overall appeal of the area. If you need to drive, there are a few decisions you can make to help reduce these negative impacts, and can save you money, too. Read on for more information. Only need a car occasionally? Car clubs are made up of members who want to use a car or van only occasionally. Car clubs usually provide modern cars which can be cleaner and more efficient than most others on the road. You pay an hourly rate for the time you reserve plus a mileage charge. Refuelling is free as there is a fuel card in the vehicle. At the moment, Enterprise operates the car club for the Leeds area, and has cars for use at Albion Street Car Park in Morley and in many locations around Leeds city centre. This means you can travel to work by sustainable modes and use a car club vehicle if you need to attend meetings that are not accessible by public transport, or if you have a lot to carry. At the time of writing, if you have an MCard (see page 21) the annual fee for the Enterprise Car Club is significantly discounted, and you get several hours of free driving credit. Sign up at or call or use the Enterprise Car Club app. To unlock the vehicle hold your membership card over the windscreen reader. Once inside, enter you PIN in the PIN pad to collect the keys. You have to return the vehicle to the same spot when you are finished using it. 23

24 Park and Ride There is a Park and Ride facility at Elland Road, a ten minute drive from Bluebell Gardens via Dewsbury Road. You can park here for free and use the buses to get in to Leeds city centre. Buses run every 10 minutes and take only 10 minutes to get to Leeds, and there are heated waiting rooms and toilets on site. Use of the bus is 3 for the day with 10% discount available if you buy 5, 10 or 20 tickets at once. Up to three children can travel for free with each fare-paying adult. MCards can be used on the Park and Ride buses. Learn more at Lift sharing schemes If you usually drive you can decrease your impact on the environment and traffic by offering a lift to people who make a journey which is on the same route as yours, or by accepting a lift from someone. Rather than two or more cars making the same journey, the drivers can travel together in a single car. You will also save money on parking, fuel and vehicle wear and tear. So, whether you d like to be the driver or the passenger, have a look at a wycarshare.com where you can sign up and find someone to share with. 24

25 All efforts have been made to ensure that the information provided in this booklet is correct, and is up to date at the time of writing. 25