Armley Gyratory could be set for much-needed revamp after being named in a major report into the future infrastructure of transport in Leeds.
A report to be considered by senior councillors on Leeds City Council’s powerful executive board sets out a vision for the future of transport in Leeds, including supporting HS2 and the reduction in traffic in the city centre through improvements to Leeds’s infrastructure.
These changes include measures to the M621 and Armley Gyratory. The council says it will also review long-term options for the Inner Ring Road, although more details on the proposals aren’t yet included in the report.
The report also recognises the challenges of changing the way people travel into and around the city in order to create a more people friendly and productive ‘urban core’. It also identifies the principles that the council will need to adopt to deliver a transport system fit for a Leeds as a 21st century city. It says:
“We need to invest now in a transport infrastructure fit for a 21st century city if we are to harness the increasing opportunities provided for by devolution and maximise the benefits of HS2 and Trans North (the proposed fast East-West network between Leeds and Manchester and across the north).
“Transport investment from the 1970s has created a legacy where traffic dominates parts of our city, with roads engineered for capacity rather than streets that cater for people.
“Changing our highway infrastructure to create a more people friendly city centre will be challenging and take major capital funding.
“Creating a more people friendly, productive and accessible city centre will also require transformational change in the way we travel into and around the city centre.”
The executive board meets at the Civic Hall on Wednesday at 1pm. Members of the public can attend. You can read the full report here.