About the scheme

Find out more about plans to improve the route from Burley Road to Westgate.

Westgate Connector

Westgate to Burley Road improvement scheme

About the scheme

We want to improve everyday life across the city, tackle climate change, and improve health and wellbeing. Leeds City Council has received funding of £1.8 million from Active Travel England to make it easier for people travelling along this route to walk, wheel, cycle, and access public transport.

One of the main goals is to enhance safety along Park Lane, which has long been a challenging area to cross, especially near Leeds City College - Park Lane. With high footfall from students and a complex road layout, crossing here can feel intimidating and unsafe. To address this, we want to introduce a fully signalised junction at Park Lane and Hanover Way, near the college, to make crossing the roads, safer and easier for pedestrians and cyclists alike.

Burley Street is a popular route for people, with over 4,200 people walking, wheeling, or cycling along it daily. To make it safer we want to build a two-way, segregated cycling path and improve pedestrian facilities, including wider pavements. These changes would help keep cyclists and people walking separate from traffic, reducing the risk of accidents and creating a more comfortable journey for everyone.

This proposed scheme is a step towards our vision for a safer, greener, and more connected Leeds. By providing dedicated cycling and walking spaces, we can prioritise safety, and support the city’s goals for health, sustainability, and reducing carbon emissions. We invite you to explore these changes and share your thoughts to help us create a safer and more inclusive transport network for all.

Casualties along the route

Between 2017 and 2023, there were 63 reported casualties* including 16 serious collisions along this route.

Our road safety investment aims to improve safety for all road users and support Vision Zero – aiming to have zero deaths and serious injuries on Leeds roads by 2040.

*Casualties refer to the number of people hurt or killed in a collision. A collision refers to the number of incidents and can involve multiple casualties.

Map showing casualties along the route

Overview of the scheme

The scheme objectives are to:

Fill the gaps in the cycle network to the west of the city centre with new cycle infrastructure.
Increase the number of cycle trips on the route by 50% by 2027.
Make it easier to make short journeys walking, wheeling and cycling.
Make the area more pedestrian friendly, accessible and easier to cross the roads.
Improve public transport by upgrading and relocating bus stops.
Reduce the risk of collisions.

The current Issues in this area are:

Difficult for people walking and wheeling to cross roads.
Lack of signalised pedestrian crossings.
Lack of safe cycling provision, including cycle lanes and crossings at junctions.
History of serious casualties along the route.
Poor waiting areas for bus users.
Confusing or overly complicated road layout.
Poor walking and cycling connectivity into the city centre from this side of Leeds.

Our proposals are: