Horsforth Roundabout.

[Keg]

Queueing round this roundabout last week, i am not sure what is going to be achieved by putting traffic lights on there. The best thing would be to put two lanes going down to Rodley as it seems to me that the problem is caused by 4 lanes going into 1.

Does anyone know what the bigger wider plan is?

[BarFly]

I went past Rodley roundabout the other day and it looks like they might be removing the middle so that the Ring Road goes straight through so I assume that will be done with traffic lights. I was commenting to the friend who was driving that it seems to be popular nowadays to, in effect, remove roundabouts and replace them with "intersections" in this manner.

[rodleymike]

Your both correct BarFly and Keg.
H'forth is to be signal controlled with dedicated lanes to perform the congestion causing right turns.
At Rodley there is going to be straight forward lanes as if a x-roads, and right turn lanes. all signalled control. Extra lanes being added
I've lived in Rodley for 38 years and suffered every day since I moved in.
So this hasn't come soon enough.

By the way, I did ask our local Councillors why this is all taking place at one go.
It was thought about and the decision was taken to do the 3 systems [including Thornbury Barracks] in one big bang instead of over a 3 year period. After all, we are gridlocked anyway 7 days a week. So agree with those that be on this one.

Full plans were / still are I think on the LCC website.

[mhoulden]

Details of the Horsforth roundabout at http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages ... cheme.aspx including plans, updates and links to the other projects. I wonder how difficult it would be to have the ring road dualled all the way from Dawson's Corner to the Lawnswood roundabout. I know there's the bridge under the railway line just after the Woodside roundabout, and the bridges over the river and canal in Rodley, but they can't be insurmountable.

[WiggyDiggy]

Looking at the plans for Horsforth and Rodley, and their claims of "provision for cyclists' it seems that stretches no further than some ASL (Advanced Stop Lines) and those are poorly implemented with no feeder lanes. Both roundabouts are in semi-rural locations and looking on google maps today there is available space surrounding the roundabouts. Surely better lanes could have been provisioned, perhaps using that space so safer cycling space is provided and available capacity for motorists is not encroached?

At the Barracks its better, as that is on the route for the CityCycleConnect scheme so we have segregated bike lanes and dedicated signals. Its a pity they refer people to the CCC website though as the documentation on the Leeds.gov site gives a much more detailed view than the CCC docs.

Roundabouts like these can be unpleasent to negotiate for all users, its a bit annoying we dont make a better one.

[BarFly]

As someone who occasionally rides a bicycle but travels in cars more often I wish they would build a lot more dedicated cycle lanes and not rely upon the ASL type thing which help nobody.
When I do, rarely I admit, ride my bike I am constantly aware that I am holding car drivers up but, by the same token, when I travel by car I find it frustrating to travel at bicycle speed. In both situations I curse the road planners.

[mhoulden]

I find it much easier to use the pavement to cycle between the two roundabouts. It's a steep hill a and fast road so it's obviously safer to be separate from the traffic. It needs a bit of TLC to sort out the spring that bubbles up halfway down, and make sure the trees are properly looked after, but it could work very well as a proper combined pedestrian and cycle path.

[WiggyDiggy]

On the pavement you have the issue of arriving at the roundabout on the pavement and trying to negotiate the way around. Planners dont often make a good job of getting you back on the road after using a shared facility.

The ASLs could work, if they had given them proper feeders, on their own they are useless.

[Uno Hoo]

My mother would have said "I told you so!" She was a councillor on the old Borough of Pudsey Council, and when the plans for the extension of the Leeds Ring Road from Rodley up to Dawson's Corner were put before the council, she argued passionately that the road be dual carriageway from Horsforth. I think she was pushing an open door with both her fellow councillors at Pudsey and those at (I think) Aireborough for Horsforth, but Central Government controlled the purse-strings, and the cost was too much for " 'Oop North", so single-carriageway won the day, and we'rw now paying a heavy price. London got the elevated road with flyovers and the rest at about the same time. 'Twas ever thus!

[BLAKEY]

"Ever thus" indeed Uno Hoo - but looking on any bright side we can find, at least we've so far been spared anything like Boris !!