Kirkstall: Calls to tackle traffic on busy Queenswood Drive

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Kirkstall residents have called for a package of improvements to tackle speeding and matchday parking down a busy west Leeds road.

Queenswood Drive suffers from speeding traffic, congestion from matchday parking from crowds attending the nearby Headingley Carnegie Stadium and problems with residents parking on grass verges.

A meeting of the Kirkstall Forum last night heard residents fear for their safety due to speeding traffic – but they were told by council officials that a traffic survey last year showed no major problems from the majority of drivers and that permanent speed cameras were not justified.

One resident said existing traffic calming was inadequate. She added:

“How many fatal accidents does there need to be on this road before highways does anything about it?

“It’s all very well saying the speeding is not too bad but you don’t live around here. It’s horrendous. It might be a small minority of drivers who speed but it only takes a minority to kill someone.”

Another resident added:

“Queenswood Drive is diabolical. Something desperately needs to be done – people drive down at frightening speeds.”

Cllr Fiona Venner
Cllr Fiona Venner

Meeting chairperson, Cllr Fiona Venner (Lab, Kirkstall), said the road did not meet the criteria for speed cameras as the majority of drivers were within the speed limit.

But she added that local councillors would dip into their ward-based initiative money to fund a mobile Speed Indicator Device (SID), which displays the actual speed of approaching traffic and warns motorists if they’re speeding.

The meeting, attending by 13 residents at Kirkstall Educational Cricket Club on Queenswood Drive, heard the road was blighted by matchday parking by Leeds Rhinos rugby fans and Yorkshire Cricket spectators on matchdays.

One resident complained:

“Some of them park in the most ridiculous manner just to get a parking space. They park next to bus stops and grass verges. I don’t know how they do it sometimes – why should Queensway Drive residents have to put up with it every matchday?”

Burley Top resident Stuart Long said the answer to matchday parking problems in Kirkstall and Burley should come from stadium owner Paul Caddick. He added:

“Measures to limit matchday parking on Headingley residential streets may have pushed the problem into our communities.”

Another resident added:

“It’s alright Headingley residents moaning, but they’ve just pushed the problem into other areas. Ultimately the stadium should take responsibility for these problems and come up with a proper plan for tackling them.”

In addition to the SID camera, councillors and highways officers agreed to look into the possibility of residents’ permit parking on matchdays and to carry out a survey for new pedestrian crossings to help people cross the busy road.

Cllr Lucinda Yeadon (Lab, Kirkstall) said a proper traffic management system and travel plan to games needed to be put into place.

North/South Stand Headingley plans
Artist’s Impression North/South Stand. Copyright Yorkshire CCC

She said the planned redevelopment of the north-south stands of the rugby and cricket grounds in coming years could lead to parking permits being financed by the developers as part of the planning application.

It was also agreed to canvass local residents on whether they wanted to retan grass verges outside properties, or have them turned into parking bays.

The meeting also heard of a public consultation, which weill be held soon on plans to make St Ann’s Lane one way.

2 COMMENTS

  1. No good them doing traffic control an speeds during the day try do them at night after 7.30 when there going up an down at 70 80 mph

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