Safety for cyclists on the busy A65 will be improved with a pilot scheme being installed by Leeds City Council.
In addition to plans to improve to cycling networks, the council has received calls to expand cycling provision in response to the current pandemic to enable social distancing and active travel.
Following an online consultation and discussions with cycling groups and other stakeholders in the city, a section of the cycle lane on the A65 Kirkstall Road from Vesper Walk to the city centre is to given improved protection for cyclists with the introduction of temporary new protective features.
The 3.5 kilometre stretch of road has an existing semi-segregated cycle lane in place, but there are some sections where the cycle access is restricted.
In order to help make these sections safer and more welcoming for cyclists to use, the council is to install reflective black and white posts which are secured into a durable rubber base – known as Orca Wands.
The wands are a metre high, made from 100 per cent recycled materials and have been reinforced to rebound the impact of vehicles.
Spaced three metres apart, the Orca Wands have proved effective when used to protect cycle lanes in other cities in the UK.
They have been chosen to be installed temporarily as they can be deployed much more quickly than any more permanent changes to the highway.
Depending on how successful they are – and the feedback received on them – they can either be kept in place for the longer, replaced with permanent protective measures or easily removed by the council’s highways team.
Council chiefs hope they will encourage more use of the cycling lane on the A65 as an alternative to the canal towpath, which runs parallel and is used by large numbers of cyclists during peak times.
It is hoped by making the road option safer more cyclists will choose to use it to allow capacity to flow freely. The route has already seen a 13% increase in cycling in recent years.
Councillor Lisa Mulherin, Leeds City Council’s executive member for climate change, transport and sustainable development, said:
“This is a very exciting step forward in the council’s work towards a zero-carbon future.
“Kirkstall Road acts as a “core corridor” for growing cycle routes and extending the cycle provision along it helps more essential staff cycle safely to work.
“This scheme in addition to the 20mph zone being implemented in the city centre, will improve environmental sustainability, improve air quality facilitate active travel for workers on a key corridor.”
The consultation included discussions with members of Leeds Cycle Forum, Leeds Access Group, Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) and other stakeholders.
Measures are also being drawn up to temporarily extend pathways in local centres across Leeds to enable social distancing as people access local shops and schools. They will be shared with local ward councillors for comment before wider circulation to the public.
Another hair brained scheme to help about 1% of the population that cycle.traffic flow on Kirkstall road is already horrendous , maybe council could consider helping motorists for a change instead of making roads narrower on major routes into the city.Leeds has gone cycle mad.
Please make sure footpaths are not used by cyclists, as they are at the moment, but are kept for the use of pedestrians (many of whom are unable to ride a bike).