• Extreme concern over a ban on all traffic in
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a large area of the centre of Leeds from 10 am to 6 pm daily was expressed at a special meeting of the FTA's Leeds and West Riding area committee. After the meeting the secretary, Mr D. W. McIntyre, told CM: "Any restriction on access to suppliers of goods and services must increase distribution costs to some extent, but to isolate the vast number of shops and offices in the shopping precinct from their suppliers for the best part of every working day would not only be costly but unreasonable and impracticable. Where are delivery vehicles supposed to be between 10 am and 6 pm? If every town and city adopted this policy of denying access, the effect on goods distribution would be extremely serious and in the long term supplier, shopkeeper and shopper would all suffer."
Mr McIntyre referred to a report by Sir Karl Cohen which implied that shoppers were deterred from coming into Leeds by traffic in the central area. Mr McIntyre felt that anyone who had driven through central Leeds on a typical Saturday might well wonder if the boot was not on the other foot. The committee is now investigating, along with the Chamber of Commerce, the nature of servicing problems in the precinct area. Further talks with Leeds Corporation are to take place in the near future to lift the ban on goods and delivery vehicles.
Mr McIntyre told CM: "The very size of the precinct area makes detailed research a lengthy process. It is claimed to be the biggest shopping area precinct in Western Europe and probably in the world. There is no merit in having the world's largest shopping pedestrian precinct if it cannot properly be serviced by goods vehicles."