Kirkstall Junction: Leeds residents share concerns over 'horrendous' junction following flurry of crashes

There were recently three crashes within a week at the four-way junction that connects Kirkstall Road, Abbey Road and Kirkstall Lane.

Locals and business owners situated near the junction said that there has been long-running issues at the junction that are made worse by the layout, the timing of the traffic lights and the increased number of houses built in the area.

Leeds City Council has confirmed that there are plans to install new traffic cameras at the junction, which it hopes "will lead to a reduction in the number of collisions".

Data provided by the council showed that since 2020 there have been 14 recorded injury collisions at the junction, four of which were "serious".

Those living and working near the junction stressed that there are problems on a near-daily basis though and said that three recent crashes within the space of a week had brought the matter into sharp focus.

They said that the main cause of crashes is due to some motorists running red lights and the insistence of some drivers to ignore the no-right-turn signs in place.

The increase of housing in the area had also seen the junction become busier and lead to more issues as a result.

Andy Hunter, who has witnessed the regular disruption while drinking in The New George, said: "It doesn't matter what time of day it is because the timing of the lights are out. You get a queue of traffic and cars in the middle of the road in the yellow box that stops everything. That's when you get horns going and people coming out of their cars and arguing.

"It's all designed wrong. It's horrendous."

Mr Hunter added: "It was designed for 12,000 cars a day and at the moment it's doing over 75,000 a day.

"I'm a driver myself and a dread coming down here."

He said that he witnessed one of the recent crashes where a passenger had to be rushed to hospital with what looked like serious injuries, saying: "It's happening far too often for this junction.

"It's as though someone needs to die before something's done."

Local resident Stuart Long said: "It's a huge accident black spot with multiple accidents a month.

"The council have been asked for a decade to sort it out but haven't. It's only going to get worse when the new housing comes online later in the year on Kirkstall Lane."

Another resident who walks to work by the junction added that the issues cause frustration and concern for pedestrians, who are often faced with cars blocking their crossing.

She said: "They're putting cameras up but I think they need to think about pedestrians as well."

She added that there are "near misses all the time" between vehicles, saying: "I work here in the evenings and from 5pm it's 'beep, beep, beep' all the time with people blocking the junction."

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A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “We are aware of local concerns about safety at this busy junction, with the primary cause of collisions there being driver error.

“Following a successful application by the council to the Department for Transport last year for relevant powers, new traffic cameras are due to be installed at the site in May this year and it is hoped they will lead to a reduction in the number of collisions.

“The cameras will enforce two prohibited right turns, one from the A65 Abbey Road into Bridge Road and the other from Bridge Road onto the A65 Commercial Road.

“Further to this, the council has commissioned a traffic survey that will allow us to review signal timings at the junction and consider other possible measures to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

“This work is very much in line with our Leeds Safe Roads Vision Zero 2040 Strategy, which aims to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries caused by collisions.”