By John Baron
Ambitious £2.9 million plans to revamp Armley Town Street could affect trade and cause rat running in the area, a deputation has told Leeds councillors today.
Armley resident Glenn Edwards has organised a 1,600-name petition, which calls for a delay to the proposed scheme, which could see part of Armley Town Street become bus only.
Addressing a full meeting of Leeds City Council in Leeds Civic Hall, Mr Edwards – accompanied by a local trader – raised concerns over the long-running proposals, which could see part of Armley Town Street become bus only.
Mr Edwards said: “We believe the bus gates and proposed changes on surrounding streets would have a detrimental effect on the area. It would affect traders on Armley Town Street, reduce shopper numbers and disadvantage disabled shoppers.”
He raised concerns over loading, retailers’ concerns that diverting traffic would reduce passing trade and potential rat runs down residential streets.
“If this scheme comes in it will become a nightmare,” he added.
Councillors agreed to refer the deputation to officers in the relevant council department.
The scheme, which has been mooted for several years, includes a package of improvements which highways chiefs say will make it easier and safer for pedestrians, cyclists and bus users to travel into and through the busy high street.
Council chiefs say the scheme aims to reduce bus delays while improving the street environment for visitors and shoppers with wider pavements, planting and landscaping and more crossing points to encourage active travel journeys.
The additional pedestrian crossings and wider pavements aim to make it easier and safer for people to walk and wheel around, whilst the relocation and upgrading of bus shelters will provide a better waiting environment for bus passengers.
The bus-only section of Armley Town Street aims to reduce delays by moving motor vehicle traffic from Armley Town Street to the main roads of A647 Stanningley Road and Tong Road, providing a much larger area of Town Street for shoppers, local markets and events.
Planned changes include:
- Wider footways and cycling links
- Four new and five upgraded pedestrian crossings
- A bus-only section
- Updated bus stops
- Two modal filters (bollards and planters to restrict vehicle access)
- 20 mph speed restrictions
- Nine disabled parking spaces and parking restrictions
- 13 new trees and 258 sqm of planting beds
The proposals are part of Active Travel England’s Active Travel Fund programme which expects to create up to 16 million more trips by walking and cycling every year across the UK
WLD last month reported Mr Edwards’ concerns. The consultation period over traffic regulation orders – the legal mechanism to implement proposals such as double yellow lines and road closures – ended at the end of August, with the council now examining responses.
Just bloody do it! Only two out of the alleged 1600 appeared to complain. It needs doing! LCC being held to ransome over trader’s who can find away round any problems if there business needs to do it.
Get a grip and stop dallying it will be better for all tenants who walk and use buses to shop.
One of the businesses is at the top end of town street and a bus stops opposite the salon and one outside it, how does that affect her business?
I’m sure Baroness Alison Lowe has it all under control, along with the activity project for Armley, as part of a £1.9m grant funded by Sport England recently posted about.
Really needs doing
Take your life in your hands walking up there each day
Its a nightmare …people parking collecting takeaways on double yellows and up on the pavement.
Had one drive at me on cycle path footpath and park so I had to walk on busy road
It needs stopping
I agree with all those who are commenting and saying that these improvements should go ahead. It’ll be an improvement for everyone and hopefully a catalyst for a much better Town Street moving forward. It’s like the Wild West in terms of driving and crossing at the moment.
I wonder where these so-called 1,600 people have come from? They haven’t been at Armley Forum where the issue has been debated – and the sc heme revised – on several occasions.
And I bet they haven’t taken part in the formal consultations to officially share their views.
Hopefully the council will have the good sense to ignore the headline seekers and press ahead with a much-needed scheme.
1600 people felt strongly enough and knew enough about this that they signed a petition that was only available physically in local Shops? Seriously?
Why signed it? D Duck, M Mouse etc?
I am totally against the shutting of Town street which will lead to more anti social behaviour at night as there will be no traffic. Also as a resident in east armley coming from Bradford to home we have will no way of getting there. Likewise as at Mike’s carpets junction you can’t go left or straight on we can’t go west except to drop onto Tong road and try to turn right on a busy road. I am officially informed all traffic in the above cases will go left or right into Fynes view which is virtually a one lane road and will mean crossing 4 lanes of traffic or holding up an entire lane to turn right into the small road. Madness and extremely dangerous.
How does Armley gain access to all these grants? Surely Baroness Alison Lowe does not take advantage of her position as Deputy Mayor of West Yorkshire and close colleague of Mayor Tracy Brabin.
There are rumours of these regional mayors being given tax raising powers by Andy Burnham. What safeguards are in place to ensure that all areas and sectors receive fair and appropriate consideration for funding?
Wonder why you’ve focused on Alison Lowe posting twice about her on here when she hasn’t been an Armley Councillor for over seven years? Why not any of the five Councillors who’ve represented the area since or the Leader of the Council or the MP? Why Alison Lowe? There must be a reason for this fixation.
Two posts is a fixation? I know what you are implying, and you couldn’t be further from the truth. So Alison Lowe has no links with Armley now whatsoever, not even emotional? She certainly has a higher public profile than any of the present councillors or Council leader. I won’t go into the policing aspect, and shocking crime levels in West Yorkshire.
I’ve also mentioned Tracy Brabin, and that’s not gender related either, or party related. I could just as well have mentioned Rachel Reeves.
My main point relates to competence, transparency, and our whole rotten political system, in particular the regional mayoral sector, which just seems to be a licence to print money, and give a false impression of local representation and participation. West Yorkshire is far too big an area to manage on that basis.
Why not address my other point about Armley seeming to be awarded a disproportionate share of available grants. In my opinion. Which I reserve the right to express.