Council chiefs have decided to press ahead with proposals to introduce a 20mph speed limit along a number of streets in Pudsey town centre.
It is hoped the measures will make the roads safer for pedestrians and motorists visiting the town centre. The new speed limit will be introduced on the following stretches of road:
- 20 mph speed limit on the entire lengths of: Crawshaw Hill; Hammerton Street; Lidget Hill; Longfield Avenue; Longfield Court; Longfield Grove; Longfield Mount; Longfield Road; Longfield Terrace; Manor House Street; Manor View; Market Place; Mulberry Street; Robin Chase and Wavergreen.
- 20 mph speed limit on parts of: Church Lane; Lowtown and Robin Lane.
The scheme was originally approved back in April 2022 and had been subject to a public consultation.
A council report this week revealed there had been a single objector to the proposals, who argued “traffic is already slow enough”, that the measures would have no effect on speeding drivers and drivers would ‘watch their speedo’ rather than the road.
But a council highways officer’s report overruled the objection, saying Chapeltown, Church Lane, Robin Lane, Lowtown (Lane End), Lowtown (The Lanes), Richardshaw Lane all show an existing mean traffic speed of 25mph and the reducing the speed further will improve safety. The officer argued ‘there is no evidence to indicate that lower speed limits cause distraction to motorists, in fact it could be argued that slower speeds provide greater time for drivers to react to unexpected incidents’.
The report added: “Lower speeds limits in residential areas and in busy town centre environments have significant benefits for road safety, where typically injury rates are reduced by 50%…
“A reduction of mean speeds of traffic by 2/3 mph on average at all times of day will provide a safer environment for pedestrians and motorists within the Pudsey Town Centre. The average speed of traffic will be monitored throughout the year.”
Leeds City Council will now implement the new speed limit, which has the support of all three Pudsey councillors.
The report can be read in full here.
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