Connecting Leeds Newsletter
March 2024
Welcome to the March Connecting Leeds newsletter. Catch up on the latest travel updates, road safety information, and infrastructure developments shaping Leeds' highways this month.
Plan ahead: New York Road tunnel closure
The New York Road tunnel and the A64(M) slip road exit to the tunnel is closed to traffic until autumn 2024. This is for essential maintenance to the New York Road flyover.
This important project, which is necessary in order to make sure that this key section of the Leeds inner ring road remains safe to use, involves replacing 27 of the bridge's bearings to keep the flyover sturdy.
Read more about it in our press release and find alternative routes here.
Plan ahead: M1 safety improvements
Last week National Highways began major safety improvements on the M1, focusing on a 10-mile stretch between junctions 43 and 47.
From 1 March, for three and a half weeks, there will be overnight closures on the M1 between junctions 45 and 47 (between Sunday - Friday, 8pm - 6am). Signed diversions will be in place and National Highways advise planning journeys in advance and considering alternative routes during this period.
The works form part of the first phase of the project which involves replacing the existing wire rope barrier with a more robust concrete version. The first phase will last around seven months, followed by a second phase between junctions 43 and 45 beginning in August.
Leeds Travel to Work Survey 2024
If you commute to, or are based at a workplace in Leeds, have your say in our short Travel to Work survey. Whether you take the train, drive, cycle or walk to work, data from the survey will help us to understand travel behaviour and will inform future transport planning and investment in Leeds.
8,400 of you responded to the survey last year which showed significant changes in travel habits and behaviour, particularly increased levels of working from home.
Take part in the survey before it closes on 5 April.
If you have any questions, email: [email protected].
News: Local school children help plant trees to mark completion of the Fink Hill highways scheme
Pupils at Featherbank Primary School helped plant the trees to mark the completion of the Fink Hill highways scheme, which includes new pedestrian crossings to make journeys to school safer.
The Fink Hill junction is a busy route for traffic travelling between the Ring Road and Horsforth and the completed scheme aims to improve connectivity in the area, provide new facilities for pedestrians and cycle users, and improve congestion.
Read more in the press release.
News: Walking and cycling improvements from Kirkstall Road to the city centre
The latest scheme in a £7.2 million package of walking and cycling improvements across Leeds city centre has opened.
The new cycle track from Kirkstall Road to Wellington Street boosts access for people travelling by bike from west Leeds into the city centre.
The Western Gateway scheme connects with existing cycling routes on the A65, Wellington Street, City Square and beyond and plugs a missing link in the city’s growing network of protected cycle routes separate from busy roads and pedestrian walkways.
Find the full press release here.
News: Largest fleet of zero emission buses for West Yorkshire
First Bus has announced the electrification of its Bramley depot in Leeds, which will introduce the largest fleet of zero emission buses in West Yorkshire.
A fleet of 57 all-electric buses is beginning to join the city network. Once all are in service a third of the Bramley depot fleet will be zero emission, with each bus saving around 60 tonnes of carbon a year.
Read more in the press release.
Tell us about travel issues in north-west Leeds
We want to hear from residents in north-west Leeds on any issues related to travel in your community. This could be about how you access public transport facilities, whether you feel unsafe walking, wheeling or cycling, the attractiveness of a street, or where traffic and speeding are causing issues.
Now’s the chance to have your say! It’s easy to feed back – drop a pin on the map where you’re experiencing issues and fill in the survey. This will help prioritise improvements, when funding becomes available.
Headingley & Hyde Park, Little London & Woodhouse, Weetwood
Consultation live until Sunday 7 April. Have your say here.
Adel & Wharfedale, Guiseley & Rawdon, Horsforth, Otley & Yeadon
Consultation live until Sunday 7 April. Have your say here.
Combined Authority community grants for walking, cycling and wheeling projects
West Yorkshire Combined Authority are offering grants of up to £5000 for organisations in the region that want to support walking, cycling and wheeling in their local community.
A wide range of projects have been supported in the past, from walking clubs, to social cycling, to route maps for disabled people.
Applications are open now and close on 9 April. Apply on the WYCA website or email [email protected] to discuss your idea.
Woodhouse Lane Gateway: consultation update
Thank you to everyone that fed back in the Woodhouse Lane Gateway consultation, which ran from 15 January – 19 February 2024. We are now analysing the responses received and your feedback will be used to develop plans for a safer and more welcoming environment.
Your views on current issues, the changes you would like to see, and what you think should be prioritised will help inform proposals to improve walking, cycling and bus routes along Woodhouse Lane and Albion Street from St Mark’s Road to the Headrow in the city centre. The next stage of consultation will go out to the public in autumn 2024.
You can find out more about the scheme and sign up for news updates here.
