By John Baron
Highways chiefs have launched a consultation into plans to reduce the speed limit on the Outer Ring Road and A647 Stanningley By-Pass.
As previously reported, Leeds City Council are proposing to reduce the limit to 50mph, replacing the existing 60mph and 70mph sections.
E-mails are being sent out to ward councillors in Bramley & Stanningley, Calverley & Farsley, and Pudsey wards as part of a consultation into the proposals, as well as police, other emergency services and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
The consultation is part of a £20 million government funded Levelling Up Fund project for the Pudsey parliamentary constituency, which was awarded funding in 2021.
It seeks to improve road safety along the western outer ring road corridor, inclusive of A647 Stanningley By-Pass from Bramley Town End through to Dawson’s Corner and then the A6110/A6120 Outer Ring Road from Dawson’s Corner to Horsforth Roundabout.
A council spokesperson said: “With a total of 78 injury collisions along the corridor in the past five years, Leeds City Council feels it is appropriate to lower the speed limit to push through the desired road safety benefits that would accompany such a reduction.
“This reduction in speed limit will result in greater stopping distances and increased time for drivers to make judgements on manoeuvres, which will go a significant way towards reducing the existing injury collision records along this corridor.
Views from the consulation will be represented in a report to the Chief Officer Highways & Transportation at the Highways Board, where the Chief Officer will be asked to give approval to the overall package of work.
What do you think? Have your say in our just for fun poll below:
Lowering the speed limit only inconveniences law abiding drivers. It does nothing to tackle the problem of dangerous drivers who show flagrant disregard for the existing speed limits and treat the roads as a race track. Case in point – stand on Farsley Town Street watching the speed indicator boards, hardly any vehicles adhere to the 20mph limit.
No, and a significant number of them are local residents, coming out of the properties and side streets in Farsley. Some local businesses in signwritten vans too.
Absolutely. We need speed cameras that work / send fines EVERY TIME to these lunatics. 4 fines/12 points/ =no licence. Next time= custody
The justice system is a joke though, magistrates listen to these hard luck stories from speedsters about how they’ll suffer if they dont have a licence, etc etc, and treat them more leniently, exactly the opposite of what should happen. If your licence is that important to you, you should be extra careful.
Spending levelling up funding to promote car usage in any way is inappropriate. New Pudsey Station is in the middle of this area. Why not promote its use and public transport links to it. Bus services across Pudsey constituency are poor. Public transport is the future. Private car use is the past.
It certainly is. New cars are ridiculously overpriced now, and out of the reach of the ordinary man. Manufacturers are open about the fact that they’re just not interested in producing affordable, entry level smaller vehicles any more, they’re concentrating on the most profitable ones.
There’s serious crashes daily in Bradford, yet its awash with cameras and low limits. The hit and runs on Bradford Road a indicator of the real problem. Illegal drivers. No licence, no insurance not registered to the keeper. Its a standing joke of 1 car 6 drivers. The problem on the bypass isn’t the speed limit but illegal drivers late night with a visible lack of police. Cameras just catch the unwary, hence millions generated in fines while road deaths increase. Re the 20 limits. Its too slow, even the police don’t adhere to them.
It is not the people that adhere to the speed limit that cause accidents but the few that have no regard for safety. The few that speed and only slow down when approaching the one speed camera at the end.
Most of the crashes late evening or as on Bradford Road (and Bradford itself) with illegal drivers. There’s too many cameras which distract your attention from driving Not everyone’s speeding, but people new to the area, the first thing they do on seeing a camera is brake, ‘then’ check their speed. See this throughout the country. Cameras are raising millions and North York’s have expected revenue in their budget from cameras.
A half way house – reduce the 70 zone to 60. Also has beneficial impacts for fuel consumption and emissions. May only be marginal but every bit helps.
Average speed cameras along the whole stretch would be better as many of the accidents are not caused by those travelling within the speed limit.