A58 Roundhay Road: Leeds residents 'up in arms' over Harehills junction proposals as over 500 sign petition
Residents in a Leeds district have been “up in arms” over plans put forward for a junction with an “alarming” crash rate.
Leeds City Council revealed proposals in March to improve safety around the ‘Bayswater Triangle’ in Harehills, particularly the A58 Roundhay Road junctions with Bayswater Road, Spencer Place, Roseville Road, and Gledhow Road.
The plans included proposals to introduce segregated bus and cycle lanes along the route, plus improved pedestrian crossings.
A total of 71 collisions have been recorded along the route over the past seven years - resulting in 90 casualties, including one fatality, 14 serious injuries, and 56 slight injuries. As a result, it has been identified as Leeds City Council’s “number one site of concern.”
The consultation concluded yesterday (April 30) after the deadline was extended due to the high volume of respondents.
However, a petition signed by over 500 residents was handed in at Leeds Civic Hall yesterday by Councillor Mothin Ali, who represents the Gipton and Harehills ward, on account of the consultation process and the plans put forward.
He argued that there was “inadequate” engagement with residents during the process as the consultation was “inaccessible” to many in the area who don’t have access to IT services or have problems understanding English.
Coun Ali also said that when a consultation was meeting was being held he noticed that council staff were not taking notes when people were sharing their concerns, saying: “People need their voices to be heard.
“With the consultation there’s been accessibility problems.”
He also argued against the proposals and said the consultation “doesn’t give people the choice of having their own option”.
He said: “It’s like a decision has already been made.”
Coun Ali said that the proposals, which include changes to junctions around the Bayswater Triangle, could lead to greater congestion and worse air quality.
He said: “People in Harehills already suffer from poor health.
“In order to avoid bottlenecks people are going to end up going through back streets and residential areas. It will create social isolation for those who are cut off.”
He continued: “I understand the reason for the work in that it’s an accident black spot but they should have explored all of the alternatives.”
He suggested a small roundabout in place of the traffic light system currently being proposed.
The consultation calls on the council to halt the roadwork plans until further work with residents is carried out, with Coun Ali saying: “This is not simply about the roadworks. It’s a matter of respecting community voices, making decisions transparent, and ensuring public health and welfare isn't side-lined.”
Responding to the consultation, a spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “The proposals on the A58 Roundhay Road aim to improve safety along the route whilst making it easier and more accessible to walk, wheel, cycle and use public transport. Combined, the junctions surrounding Bayswater Triangle make up the top collision hotspot in Leeds, with an alarming rate of collisions occurring in the last seven years (1 fatality, 71 collisions involving 90 casualties, 35% of casualties involved people walking and cycling).
“(Sic) The consultation has had excellent levels of engagement with over 740 surveys filled in through a mixture of online surveys, paper surveys filled in at the drop-in events and paper surveys posted to us.
“Once the consultation closes, we will review all feedback received and determine the next steps of the scheme.”