Outer ring road improvements could include reduced speed limit

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More details of a multi-million pound package of environmental improvements for the outer ring road between Horsforth and Pudsey have been revealed – and could include a new speed limit imposed for the road and the adjoining Stanningley Bypass.

The overall £20 million Connecting West Leeds scheme, approved by the government in last year’s budget, runs between Horsforth and Dawson’s Corner in Pudsey but is being split into two phases.

A council report has this week approved the designs and authorised the expenditure on the first phase of the scheme.

This involves junction improvements at Fink Hill and widening the Outer Ring Road, just south of Horsforth Roundabout, from one to two lanes. The work will also include Horsforth to Rodley footway and cycle links. 

Included within the proposals are instructions to draft a Speed Limit Order to implement a consistent 50mph speed limit from on the Leeds Outer Ring Road and Stanningley Bypass from Horsforth Roundabout to Henconner Lane flyover.

And if no valid objections are received, the council’s solicitor should make, seal and implement the Speed Limit Order as advertised.

The Outer Ring Road speed limit at Horsforth is currently 70mph, and on stretches of Stanningley Bypass it’s 70mph and 60mph.

Work on the first phase is expected to be completed next summer.

The report states:

“The Outer Ring Road cuts across local communities, affecting accessibility to the transport network, jobs, education, and leisure amenities within West Leeds and beyond. The traffic levels and speeds on the Outer Ring Road mean that the route is unattractive to or unusable for active travel modes and creates severance between communities including Farsley, Calverley, Horsforth, Pudsey, and Stanningley.

“There is little choice but to make many short distance trips by car because traffic conditions make it unsafe or unattractive to walk and cycle. Alternatively, trips are not being undertaken at all.”

Fink Hill scheme

The report says the Fink Hill scheme is primarily to improve crossing facilities for pedestrians, provide cycle links and to reduce queueing and delay. The junction currently experiences congestion, delaying traffic movements on the ring road.

Horsforth Merge

The existing Horsforth roundabout junction also experiences significant delays, particularly on the A65 eastbound and westbound.

The Horsforth Merge proposal is to increase the extent of the current merge to improve capacity on the southbound exit towards Rodley by adding two lanes from the roundabout exit for 235 metres and then a further merge length of 100 metres before a return back to a single traffic lane.

The proposal will also benefit buses travelling along the A65 corridor approaching the roundabout.

Money

The report also authorises utility works of £1.288m and tree clearance costing £70,000. The first phase of the project is funded from government ‘Levelling Up’ cash of £7.988m and £3.257m from West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Phase two – Rodley to Dawsons Corner

Phase two of the scheme is expected to have completed its design stage by spring 2023.

This lncludes the Calverley Lane foot and cycle bridge, Rodley to Dawsons Corner footway and cycleway link, Rodley Roundabout technology improvements, Calverley Lane North and Calverley Bridge road safety measures, Canal footway and cycleway connection and speed camera enforcement.

The report authorising the scheme, which is subject to call-in, can be read in full here.

4 COMMENTS

  1. There is. Ithing wrong with the ring road as it is all the construction etc. Just causes more mess, more mayhem and when it’s all done is worse than before. When will the councils stop wearing time effort and energy as well as money on stupid ideas rather than resurfacing the roads PROPERLY not loose clippings, as the moon has a smoother surface than our roads, in fact I have personally driven on amoother goat tracks in the back bush of Greece than I have the roads of Horsforth. Seriously, the town planners and anyone who has anything to do with logistics development need to get back to basics, instead if creating more obstacles. Meanwhile back I’m Japan for sone reading EVERYTHING works and works to a high level. Perhaps the Wnglish could learn a lesson or two from there.
    Honestly all this nonsense boils my blood and makes me want to move even leave my country PERMANENTLY. I am a Horsfordian by birth and lived here my whole life, and never have I witnessed such a degenerate age.

  2. I don’t know anywhere where the speed limit on the outer ring road at Horsforth is 70, its either 40 or 60. I hope the new speed camera enforcement is average speed rather than just the odd camera here and there. At the moment, the intimidating way the idiots in their German cars and on high powered mororbikes scream between the cameras then slam on is terrible, noisy as well as very dangerous.

  3. It is sad that Leeds Highways is still focusing on traffic slow and the associated increase in pollution instead of traffic flow. The Leeds outer ring road is mainly dual carriageway and rightly so The part between Dawsons Corner and Horsforth Woodside is one of the few areas that still remains sub standard. This scheme should have addressed the matter rather than being an ad hoc short term effort

  4. I have to use this god forsaken road every day. The pinch point is the merge just before the bridge for traffic heading to Horsforth. I cannot see the problems being solved unless the bridge is widened which i believe is too expensive or something. (When you start queueing just after dawsons corner roundabout and it can take about an hour to get from Dawsons corner to Horsforth you can understand why people get really cheesed off.) Living in Horsforth and surrounding areas has its downsides. Big time.

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