A660 Otley Road, Far Headingley

A660 Otley Road, Far Headingley

Overview

Our plans aim to promote cycling, walking and public transport by providing better infrastructure to allow residents to access key routes into the city centre.

This feeds into our Connecting Leeds transport vision for Leeds to be “a city where you don’t need to own a car” aiming to increase walking by 33% and cycling by 400% by 2030, whilst also helping to boost the economy through providing other alternative methods of transport for people who live, work and visit the city.

As a result, we are delivering a number of schemes to support cycling, walking and using public transport within Leeds, helping people to move around easier, whilst reducing residents' dependency on private vehicles for shorter trips.

A660 Otley Road proposals

We have improvements for A660 Otley Road, from Lawnswood roundabout to St Anne's Road. The scheme involves creating a cycle lane (wands and orcas) northbound. It includes wider bus lanes southbound (for bus reliability and safer spaces for cyclists who travel within bus lanes). The scheme also includes additional bus priority, safety, traffic calming and pedestrian improvements. 

Find out about each individual section below.

St Anne's Road junction

View the proposals for A660 Otley Road at its junction with Shaw Lane and St Anne's Road below:

We are planning on making the following improvements to the junction to make it safer and more efficient: 

• BLACK line on map: introduce an additional, safer, controlled pedestrian crossing south of the junction (outside Heaney & Mill) whilst extending the length of crossing time for pedestrians from current 9 seconds to 24 seconds.
• GREEN line on map: introduce a wider, 2-metre cycle lane (wands and orcas) northbound from St Anne's Road to Lawnswood roundabout.
• PURPLE line on map: introduce a bus gate southbound (towards City Centre) from Burton Crescent to the junction. This is to give buses a head start over traffic to provide better bus journey reliability.
• RED line on map: due to highway constraints, ban right turn traffic movements from A660 Otley Road into St Anne’s Road.

Delivery of scheme

The works for the A660 Otley Road junction will start February 2023 and last for approximately 20 weeks. The works include:

• existing traffic signals replaced with new, updated signals (temporary signals will be in place at the junction whilst construction is underway)
• kerbs realigned and new road markings
• drainage and ducting 
• new crossing facilities
• a segregated cycle path at the junction
• a Copenhagen crossing installed at St Chad’s Drive
• essential gas works (Northern Gas)

The changes at the junction include a banned right turn from the A660 Otley Road into St Anne’s Road. We consulted on these proposals with a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) and received 19 objections, most of which raised concerns about additional traffic that would divert onto St Chad’s Drive. 

Having discussed these concerns with ward members, the council’s Highways Transportation Board, and with residents at a public meeting held on Wednesday 30^th November at St Chad’s Parish Centre, we have decided to go ahead with the scheme but with the following mitigation measures for St Chad’s Drive: 

• a ‘Copenhagen crossing’, which gives priority to pedestrians and cyclists, added to the Otley Road/St Chad’s Drive junction
• traffic volumes and speeds monitored three months after the right turn ban is introduced. If these increase by 7%, because of the banned movement, further traffic calming measures will be introduced

Spen Road junction

Spen Road junction improvements include:

• widening the existing footpath/footway
• realigning the traffic island to improve the design of the junction
• adding a two-metre wide segregated cycle lane, northbound. 

To support parking for local businesses, we will also be adding some marked-out parking bays to Otley Road. View the changes below:

Spen Road works are due to complete Spring 2023.

Intended benefits of the scheme

• Enable more people to make local journeys on foot and by bike, to shops, health services and workplaces in Leeds.
• Give buses a head start to improve bus journey reliability.
• Ultimately inspire more people to cycle more often, promoting cycling participation across all groups.
• Provide this work at a carbon-neutral level.

Consultation so far

Affected stakeholders, residents and businesses were consulted on this scheme in March 2022.  

Next Steps

If you would like to know more, or have any questions about these improvements, please contact us by emailing connectingleeds@leeds.gov.uk.

Please note, there are further works or proposals along the A660 route. These include:

• Highways improvements to A660 Otley Road from St Anne's junction to St Mark's Road/Woodhouse Lane junction (near Parkinson Court). Find out more here.  
• Woodhouse Lane Gateway scheme.

After consultation in winter 2021/22, road safety, cycling and walking improvements are due to be delivered on Lawnswood roundabout starting winter 2023. Further engagement with affected stakeholders will happen in 2023.