Cycle ride to mark completion of Horsforth to Pudsey (A6120) outer ring road highways improvement scheme

Highway improvements from Horsforth to Pudsey (Dawsons Corner) on the Leeds outer ring road (A6120) have completed, to make it more accessible for walking, wheeling and cycling, with new 50mph speed restrictions and changes to junctions to make it safer for all road users.

The final piece to construct an accessible footbridge over the A6120 Ring Road Farsley near Calverley Lane, to connect the communities of Calverley and Farsley will start on site early next year. This is planned to take around 12 months to build.

This work is part of the wider Connecting West Leeds programme worth more than £23 million along the outer ring road, supported by £20 million from the UK Government Levelling Up Fund.

To officially open the routes, by cycling on Leeds City Bikes along the A6120 from Horsforth to Calverley Lane junction, councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, was joined by representatives from the Department for Transport, construction partners and the project team.

The works which were completed in spring took around a year, includes new and improved footways and cycleways for walking, wheeling and cycling, between Horsforth roundabout and Dawsons Corner, connecting to the cycle facilities and junction improvements at Fink Hill, which were completed in winter 2023.

The merge lane was extended at Horsforth roundabout to prevent queuing traffic blocking the junction, to reduce congestion and improve bus journey times on the New Road Side (A65). There are also safety measures for no right turns out of the junctions of Calverley Bridge and Calverley Lane; planting and landscaping; and the reduction of speed to 50mph from Horsforth roundabout to Stanningley Bypass at Henconner Lane Bridge, including enforcement through average speed cameras.

It addresses the aims of Connecting West Leeds to:

• Improve road safety, in line with our Vision Zero ambition for zero road deaths by 2040 in Leeds.
• Increase walking and cycling levels within West Leeds, especially for short journeys.
• Segregate pedestrians and cyclists from other road users.
• Improve access to jobs, education, healthcare, and leisure opportunities.
• Lower emissions, with improved local air and noise quality.
• Shorter journey times, including buses.
• Improved access to greenspace, along with better health through active lifestyles of walking and cycling

These are all part of the Connecting Leeds transport strategy to transform travel throughout Leeds, setting out the council’s vision for a city where you don’t need to use a car, where everyone has an affordable zero carbon choice in how they travel.

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, said:

“I am delighted to ride on a Leeds City Bike along the new stretches of improved footways and cycleways, connecting Horsforth roundabout and Dawsons Corner. It’s an aspiration for the Leeds City Bike scheme to expand to include more areas of West Leeds, but in the meantime I hope more people will use the segregated cycle paths, that make the route much safer and more accessible for active travel.

“As works have started in earnest at Dawsons Corner, once complete it will make shorter journeys by bike, walking or wheeling much better between Horsforth and Pudsey. The new accessible footbridge over the A6120 Ring Road Farsley near Calverley Lane when constructed next year, will provide vital new connections between Calverley and Farsley.

“We would like to thank everyone involved in working on this scheme, along with people’s ongoing patience, while we carried this out. Although it’s great to see yet another project complete, we are conscious that there’s still a lot of other work taking place around the city. We are working hard to deliver these as swiftly as possible, while minimising disruption wherever we can.”