New Connecting Leeds consultation opens for the Armley Gyratory

A new round of public consultation on measures to improve the Armley Gyratory and help transform transport and travel in and around Leeds starts this week.

Armley Gyratory is a key junction on the Inner Ring Road to the west of Leeds city centre. It is a major entry/exit point for traffic travelling through and into the city with an estimated 100,000 vehicles passing through it daily.

These new Connecting Leeds designs support the council’s vision for a more liveable, greener and better connected city centre. It will complement and enable wider improvement projects in the city, providing an opportunity to create better public spaces. Specifically, the plans support the closing of Neville Street to through traffic, a pedestrianised City Square and development of the South Bank.

In April 2018, commuters said the gyratory traffic resulted in delays for motorists and bus users, contributing towards poor air quality and impacting negatively on local resident and businesses. The surrounding communities also said the pedestrian and cycling facilities are poor and they were unlikely to use them for journeys into the city centre.

In response to these views, these new plans feature;

• New improved cycling and pedestrian routes through the gyratory,
• To improve traffic flow through the junction, better timings for traffic lights and reduced speeds to 30mph,
• New landscaping to the south east of the gyratory,
• Improvements to air quality, safety and the local environment for residents,
• Re-aligning northbound traffic, moved away from the residential area,
• New traffic signals and better pedestrian crossing facility on Wellington Road near the residential area.

The public can give their views on this scheme via the website www.leeds.gov.uk/Connecting Leeds until Monday 23 September. An animation showing the details of the scheme is available here: https://youtu.be/6RRSHd7fYfE

There’s two public drop-in sessions at the New Wortley Community Centre, 40 Tong Road, Leeds LS12 1LZ. The first starting at 10am to 2pm Saturday 7 September and second at 5pm to 8pm Tuesday 17 September.

These improvements are part of Connecting Leeds, the council’s transport strategy for the city. Connecting Leeds are working with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, partners and stakeholders to improve all aspects of the transport network in Leeds and connecting to the wider Leeds City Region.

The next step will see a planning application submitted in autumn 2019, with expected construction to start later in 2020 and take two years to complete.

Executive board member for climate change, transport and sustainable development, Councillor Lisa Mulherin said:

“Making major junction improvements, such as at Armley Gyratory, is a key part of our plan to improve public transport across Leeds. These proposals support our vision to create a more people friendly and accessible city centre, with improvements to air quality. They will help to remove unnecessary vehicle traffic into the city centre, for the benefit of public transport users, pedestrians and cyclists. This is key to unlocking more pedestrianised areas in the heart of the city.

“In addition, the Armley Gyratory proposals offer significant benefits for local communities to travel into the city centre, with improved cycling and pedestrian facilities. It is essential that we consider how we are promoting more sustainable travel through large changes like this.

“These proposals will tackle congestion and traffic flow, which by reducing the emissions of noxious and greenhouse gases, will help to protect everyone’s health and ultimately lower the city’s carbon footprint. I look forward to seeing what people think and encourage you to have your say.”

Further information

The vision set out for Connecting Leeds is to deliver a transformational step change in the transport network and connectivity in Leeds and the wider region. It’s aiming to help and support bringing people, places, jobs, learning and leisure closer together. This will be achieved through improvements to road, rail, bus, park and ride, cycling and walking services and infrastructure, reducing congestion and improving air quality and accessibility in Leeds along with utilising the latest technology innovations.

It has been developed from the feedback received in the biggest-ever transport conversation held with residents, businesses, stakeholders and visitors in the city which included more than 8,000 people taking part in a survey in 2016.

For more information go to www.leeds.gov.uk/connectingleeds or @ConnectingLeeds on twitter or through Leeds City Council’s Facebook page.

For media enquiries please contact:

Adrian Capon

Leeds City Council communications and marketing

T: 0113 378 1622

Email: adrian.capon@leeds.gov.uk