A new public consultation has been initiated to enhance the travel route along Burmantofts Street and Beckett Street, a key artery linking the city center to St James’s Hospital and the nearby neighborhoods of Burmantofts, Lincoln Green, Richmond Hill, and Harehills.
This initiative builds upon a 2019 consultation that garnered substantial support for making the area more pedestrian-friendly, enhancing bus and cycling infrastructure, and promoting safer and greener travel options. Thanks to funding from the City Region Sustainable Transport Scheme, the proposed enhancements aim to create a more inviting and efficient urban environment.
Key proposals from the consultation include:
- Installing safer pedestrian crossings.
- Widening the pavements outside the Bexley Wing at St James’s Hospital.
- Establish a two-way protected cycle track along Burmantofts Street and Beckett Street, enhancing safety and accessibility for cyclists.
- Adding new cycle crossings.
- Implementing a new 24-hour bus lane leading from Burmantofts Street to St James’s Hospital.
- Extending the existing bus lane from St James’s Hospital back to Burmantofts Street.
- Improving the waiting areas for bus users near St James’s Hospital.
- Introducing new landscaping and green spaces to enhance the area’s aesthetic and environmental quality.
Residents and stakeholders are encouraged to contribute their views and help shape the future of this crucial transport link. Since 2017, the route has witnessed 67 reported casualties, including 12 serious collisions and one pedestrian fatality. The proposed scheme seeks to enhance safety for all road users by introducing safer crossing points, wider pavements, and protected cycle paths.
The proposals ensure that access to St James’s Hospital remains unaffected, and emergency vehicles as well as Hackney taxis will continue to have access to bus lanes. Leeds City Council, in collaboration with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, is developing this scheme.
Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development said:
“The route is a key corridor for people visiting Burmantofts and the surrounding areas and for access to the hospital. We want to make the area more welcoming for pedestrians, bus users or those travelling on a bike by making the route safer, more accessible and easier to travel around. I’d urge residents, businesses, and people that travel to work in the area to feedback on the plans and have their say in the consultation.”
Councillor Peter Carlill, Deputy Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee said:
“It’s great to see plans moving forward that will make it easier and safer for people to walk, wheel, cycle and use public transport in this part of Leeds. I’d encourage the public to have their say on these proposals as we build a greener, better-connected West Yorkshire.”
Residents, businesses, and visitors are invited to share their feedback before the consultation period ends on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. Feedback can be provided by completing a 10-minute survey available at www.beckettstreet.commonplace.is, or by attending a drop-in session at The Anglers Club on Tuesday, September 17, from 3 PM to 7 PM.
For those who prefer paper copies of the proposals and the survey, please call 0113 336 8868 or email connectingleeds@leeds.gov.uk to request them.
