Ward councillors in Calverley and Farsley have reacted with disappointment to the news that a number of sites in the ward will not get new pedestrian crossings in the next year.
Councillors Andrew and Amanda Carter (both Conservative) have been pushing the Highways Department of Leeds City Council for additional crossings on:
- Carr Road, Calverley (east of Fraser Road)
- Coal Hill Lane, Farsley (east of St Stephen’s Road)
- Rodley Lane, near Brookfield
- and Lidget Hill (junction with Cemetery Road) in Pudsey.
The Dispatch reported two weeks ago that the council had green-lit new informal measures to help pedestrians crossing near the busy Wickes roundabout on the Ring Road.
The Wickes scheme is part of a £390,000 city-wide package of crossing improvements approved by Leeds City Council – but the only scheme proposed in West Leeds.
Cllr Andrew Carter said:
“Official statistics may say there is no demand for crossings at these locations, but we know our ward.
“This is one of the reasons why we pushed for facilities on Carr Road, not far from bus stops on either side of the road. We are disappointed that they have not been selected this year, but we will continue to work for better road safety measures all across the ward.”
Councillor Amanda Carter, Conservative Calverley & Farsley, said:
“We are supposed to be encouraging more people to walk, and to make this safer for elderly residents, but also to encourage walking to school means we need extra facilities to enable people to cross the road safely. The Council should suspend its arcane crossing formula and listen to local councillors and residents.”
Council framework
A council report said that 15 schemes were chosen out of the ones highlighted by local residents and ward members across the city.
Decisions were based on a variety of different evidence and followed a review conducted in line with a crossing assessment framework and takes into account the range of sites and circumstances where crossings are requested, including:
- The ease with which a pedestrian (including children, older people and disabled people) can currently cross the road;
- Whether a crossing site is on a pedestrian desire line and would be used regularly;
- Potential benefits to the local community and businesses in overcoming
severance; - Potential impacts on residents and businesses, both positive and negative;
- Potential impacts on road safety and traffic speeds; and
- Other relevant factors such as presence of bus stops, frontages, parking, junctions and other highway features, including proximity of existing formal and informal crossing points.
The report added:
“Leeds City Council also undertakes an annual review of all injury collisions within the metropolitan district, including a ‘Cluster Site Analysis’ of locations which see collisions rate below that which would require the location to be included on the ‘Sites for Concern’ or ‘Lengths for Concern’ annual documents.”
Read the full council report here.
The 15 citywide schemes which meet the criteria also included Spen Lane, between Old Oak Drive and Queenswood Drive, and carriageway widening and a refuge on the A6120 Broadway, in Horsforth, near the junction with Stanhope Drive.
