SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Hi,

I'm sure this just can't be me, but I've noticed very recently in various places across West Yorkshire a small group of about 4-6 people all in flourescent green jackets, some sat down taking notes/ticking on a clipboard. They seem to be monitoring traffic and a lot of motorists are slowing down when they see them. Is this possibly a traffic survey of sorts?
I've seen this a lot so would be interesting to find out what they are doing.

While it is entirely possible that it is an official survey I think its as likely that it is a local action group campaigning for

a reduction in speed limit
traffic calming measures
a bypass for that stretch of road
a reduction in road haulage

Traffic volumes for official surveys is usually (if not totally) monitored by two wires strung across the road surface attached to boxes padlocked to lamposts or sign posts. One of the places I've seen the hi-viz groups is overlooking the M62 on the A61 in Lofthouse. Now given that is recently installed "managed motorway" I suspect there is state of the art monitoring that doesn't need to be backed up by human counters.

It's strange, they all seem to be of retirement age and in some strange places. I noticed this morning a group sat on top of a pedestrian bridge near Elland Rd on the M621 coming into Leeds. I also noticed them sat on a roundabout coming into Huddersfield!

simon2710 wrote:It's strange, they all seem to be of retirement age and in some strange places. I noticed this morning a group sat on top of a pedestrian bridge near Elland Rd on the M621 coming into Leeds. I also noticed them sat on a roundabout coming into Huddersfield!

From experience, when a planning application is submitted for a building which might increase traffic flow, i.e a supermarket or refuse tip, the local authority often ask for compensation.
Their highways officers claim that the proposed development will increase traffic flow which will cause road wear.
The planning committee will request cash to maintain the roads as a condition of the planning approval'.
The applicant may want to prove or disprove the claim, and checks are made before and after, to check the figures.
The applicants agent will therefore make arrangements for the surveys. I have had to do this near Buxton- for a quarry, at Saltney for a supermarket and at several locations for distribution warehouses.

They seem to be on Hunslet Distributor on a regular basis over the years, just before the fly over. Been there on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and yes they are all old people (maybe there's a job for me)!!

They are traffic surveys, but it is a bit if a con as once again they've chosen one of the quieter times of the year to do it.
Schools doing exams, students leaving at the end of term, people off on holiday - traffic levels have been a lot lower over the last week or so and as usual, out the surveys come.

There was an item on BBC1 today that would have confused me if I had not seen it from the start . During it some people in yellow jackets were stated to be conducting a traffic survey in Leeds, though that did look rather rural and nowhere I recognised. Leeds was mentioned several times in the item but it was only at the start that it was stated it was the village of Leeds, in Kent!