Armley Gyratory: New pedestrian crossing ‘will remove barrier for residents’

A council report has given the green light for a new pedestrian crossing as part of multi-million pound works to relieve congestion at Armley Gyratory.

Highways chiefs have agreed to advertise an order to implement the proposed new pedestrian and cycling crossing at the bottom of Wellington Road, subject to there being no objections.

The council report says the new crossing comes as a result of feedback from local residents, who see the gyratory as a ‘barrier’ and inaccessible. It adds:

“One of the key points of feedback from the residents of New Wortley was how the current gyratory is a barrier. From the responses received, 40% of the respondents wanted the new scheme to address poor pedestrian crossing provision.

“The proposed improvements will therefore improve access to jobs, education, culture and shopping for this neighbourhood with low car ownership, and at the same time encourage people to undertake short distance trips by active modes, which helps people’s health and the environment.”

As well as advertising the proposed new crossing, the council report – which can be read here – gave the green light for a number of legal agreements attached to the scheme to be agreed.

It also revealed a timescale for the development, with a full planning application to be submitted this month, with a proposed start date of January 2022, with the overall scheme completed by July 2023.

Council chuefs say the scheme plays a vital part in regulating traffic flow into Leeds City Centre and enabling City Square to become a car-free zone by 2023.

WLD reported in March that the council had put together revised proposals for the junction, following feedback from public consultations in 2018 and 19. Proposals include:

The updated plans will address the movement through the gyratory by providing the following features:

• A new signal-controlled junction on the entrance from B6154 Wellington Road South and a signal-controlled pedestrian and cycle crossing across B6154 Wellington Road South.
• Existing pedestrian routes will be upgraded to modern standards and made safer, more pleasant and more accessible with new landscaping and footpath widening.
• New landscaping will provide enhanced visibility between road users and improve the personal security of pedestrians and cyclists.
• Cycle routes will be introduced and connected to existing routes at the junction, making it easier and safer to travel by bicycle.
• The two existing footbridges over the A643 and A58 will be replaced with a dedicated, accessible pedestrian and cycle bridge.
• To discourage people from running red lights, new traffic signal technology will be introduced which will manage queues more efficiently.
• New traffic lights added at the junction of the A643 with Gelderd Road, to better manage the traffic flow. 
• Proposed new drainage system to address the issues of flooding at the A58 Wellington Road North under the railway bridge.
• Works on the privately-owned central island have been minimised so all existing features will be retained as part of the scheme.

The 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 Armley Gyratory is a had an estimated 100,000 vehicles passing through it daily pre Covid-19.

Work is also continuing on the A647 Bus Priority Scheme to improve bus journey times into Leeds. Work is due to finish on this scheme next summer. More details here.