New city centre action plan proposals to go before council chiefs

If approved, further consultation on the action plan will then take place which will gather more views from the public and local businesses.

The action plan has been put together following a survey last year, which saw visitors and shoppers highlight a number of issues including the high number of cyclists and pedlars currently operating in key pedestrianised areas.

Among the measures now being proposed in light of that are:

• A requirement to walk with (rather than ride) bicycles and e-bikes within the city centre’s pedestrianised shopping area during pedestrianised hours. As well as Briggate, this area includes Lands Lane, Commercial Street, Albion Place and lower Albion Street.
• An extension to the hours during which this area is pedestrianised, from the current hours of 10.30am until 7pm to new hours of 10am until 8pm.
• A prohibition of pedlars from defined areas within the pedestrianised area.

The busiest high street in the region, Briggate alone has a weekly footfall in excess of 250,000, which is measured by specialist cameras tracking pedestrian movement across the city centre.

Alongside those huge numbers of people and shoppers, on an average day Briggate will see around 15 pedlars and an estimated 1,100 bikes all occupying the same street.

These include the heavy bikes used by delivery drivers, some of which are capable of speeds of up to 45 mph, potentially representing a serious risk to pedestrian safety in the event of a collision.

It is hoped that extending pedestrian hours and requiring the dismounting of cycles will reduce the risk of collisions and near misses within the pedestrianised area.

As well as the new cycling restrictions, the council is also proposing to limit the operation of street pedlars on Briggate. Pedlars are defined as non-static or mobile street traders and are not licensed by the council.

These are in contrast to the licenced independent street traders based on 12 council-managed pitches.

Many pedlars currently gather in the same areas at the same times, particularly during major events such as Light Night Leeds and Leeds Pride, causing access issues on key routes along with some associated anti-social behaviour and the sale of counterfeit goods.

The action plan proposals include consultation on a Public Space Protection Order which could prohibit pedlars from trading in specific parts of Leeds city centre.

Under the proposals, anyone breaching the restrictions on cycling and peddling could be subject to a Fixed Penalty Notice.

The proposals follow the survey carried out last year which showed that 61 per cent of respondents said delivery cyclists in pedestrianised areas negatively impacted their experience of the city centre. Fifty per cent said pedlars also negatively impacted their experience.

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport, and sustainable development said: “We’re proud Leeds is home to one of the region’s busiest and most vibrant shopping and leisure destinations and the post-Covid recovery of our city centre has been and continues to be incredibly impressive.

“Briggate in particular is one of the city’s retail crown jewels and we want to do all we can to ensure it remains an attractive, appealing and above all safe destination for the hundreds of thousands of shoppers who visit each year.

“These proposals are designed to be a starting point and an important opportunity to bring about some changes in the city centre in light of issues the public have raised with us.

“By setting the challenges out in this way and offering some potential solutions we hope to spark a wider, more detailed and ultimately beneficial conversation that will enhance the city centre for years to come.”

Members of the executive board will be asked to approve the start of a wide-ranging consultation on the Briggate Action Plan at a meeting on October 15.

If approved, the results of the consultation will inform the Briggate Action Plan which will be delivered between 2025 and 2027.

To view a full copy of the executive board report, visit: https://democracy.leeds.gov.uk/documents/s275070/Briggate%20Action%20Plan%20Cover%20Report%20021025.pdf

ENDS