The second stage of consultation has launched today to improve two key roads linking Leeds to Wakefield and Pontefract.

Run in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the consultation aims to make it safer and more accessible to walk, wheel and cycle, as well as improving bus reliability. 

The consultation follows on from a previous public engagement where residents were asked about initial proposals for the schemes. Results from the first round include:

• When asked about the zone in which there were proposed improvements to A61 Jumbles Lane and Carlton Lane junctions, 53% of respondents felt positive towards the proposals, while 28% felt negative.
• When asked about the zones in which there were proposed improvements to B6481 Pontefract Road, 52% of respondents felt positive towards the proposals, while 33% felt negative.

For the A61 in Lofthouse, the proposals focus on two key junctions which have known safety concerns, lack of safe crossing points for school students and pedestrians, and cars travelling at speed – the A61 Jumbles Lane junction and the A61 Carlton Lane junction.

Improvements to B6481 Pontefract Road, from Thwaite Gate to M1 junction 44, focus on creating a segregated cycle track along the route, linking to existing cycling provision on the A639 Thwaite Gate, allowing residents a safer and more direct route to Leeds City Centre and the ability to access businesses along the industrial estate, which often operates night-time shifts which are not suited to public transport use.

If the proposals were to go ahead, a £9.14million funding pot from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund, ringfenced to transport schemes, would be invested to carry out the works – £2m for the A61 and £7.14m for Pontefract Road.

Proposals for the A61 include:

• Wider pavements and footpaths, including doubling pavement width on Long Thorpe Lane, on the approach to Rodillian Academy, to help students and people feel safer when walking in the area
• Shared-use footways to help cyclists travel easily and safely
• New traffic signals at the Jumbles Lane junction to help improve traffic flow and offer safe crossings for people walking and cycling in the area.
• Traffic signals to be fitted with new technology which will give buses priority and improve bus journey times and reliability
• On-carriageway cycle lanes and advanced stop lines at the Jumbles Lane junction
• Existing traffic island crossing, near Nisa Local, upgraded to a signalised pedestrian crossing to make it easier for people walking to cross
• A road closure for motor vehicles at the Carlton Lane/A61 junction. This is a hotspot for collisions, and vehicles travel at speed along the road. Motor vehicles will access Carlton Road via Jumbles Lane.
• New landscaping and greenery

 Proposals for B6481 Pontefract Road include:

• Wider pavements and footpaths to allow safer access to bus stops and local businesses
• New and improved crossing facilities for people on foot and wheeling at various key locations
• New, separate cycle crossing facilities for people cycling, at various key locations
• Creation of a one-way, segregated cycle path either side of Pontefract Road, linking to existing provision on A639 Thwaite Gate. Some areas of shared use footways.
• Signalising of the rail bridge tunnel – shuttle working traffic lights will be installed to control the flow of vehicles, allowing one direction of traffic to pass at a time, improving safety and bus reliability
• New landscaping and greenery

Following feedback, the council is proposing to deliver these improvements first to meet the funding deadline, subject to the second round of consultation. The remaining proposals which are not currently being taken forward may be revisited in future should funding become available.

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, said:

“This scheme will create a safer and more accessible experience for all types of road user on these roads. The proposals help people access Leeds City Centre, local amenities and employment by creating alternative, sustainable ways to travel to essential destinations.

By offering safe and easy alternatives to the car, we can help to meet our Leeds Transport Strategy targets and create a prosperous, less congested Leeds, with healthier residents”.

 Councillor Peter Carlill, Deputy Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, said: 

“These proposals will make it easier and safer for everyone to walk, wheel, cycle and use public transport on two busy routes. I’d encourage people to have their say so that we can continue building a greener, better-connected West Yorkshire for all.”

Have your say

You can have your say before the consultation closes on 11.59pm on 10 March 2025.

1.      Feedback online by visiting the Your Voice webpage.

2.      Attend one of our in-person drop-in events:

• Wednesday 12 February 2025, 6:30-9pm – Main Hall, The Rodillian Academy, Longthorpe Lane, WF3 3PS.
• Tuesday 18 February 2025, 11am-3pm – Hunslet Library, Waterloo Road, LS10 2NS.

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