The East Leeds Extension

[raveydavey]

Whilst this isn't strictly "secret" Leeds, it certainly doesn't seem to be getting the city wide coverage that it should be.

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages ... nsion.aspx

Please take a few minutes to read the linked website - it states it is a consultative document, but many of the decisions already appear to be at an advanced stage, and the online questionnaire doesn't open until 20/11/15.
The transport plan particularly seems to consist of buzzwords, a vague list of 'potential' stuff for consideration and laughably, a suggestion of extending the white elephant misguided busway.
It makes much of the need for further housing (true), but neglects to mention that the types of housing the developers will want to build will be outside the reaches of the people most in need of homes. It also seems to suggest that only the Leeds side of the new grade seperated dual carriageway will be developed, with the land to the east apparently left as untouched pastoral farmland...
No mention of the acres of land nearby in Seacroft that could be developed, with most of the required infrastructure already in place (land off South Parkway, the huge former site of Foxwood School, etc).
It is also distinctly woolly about any infrastructure to support these new builds, but does suggest a new "recreational" route which a cynic might argue looks very much like a shared footpath / cycleway alongside the new dual carriageway.

[Leodian]

There's interesting reading in that raveydavey.

I notice that in an 'Outer Ring Road Junction Improvements' section it states "...the A6120/A61 Harrogate Road, A6120/King Lane and King Lane/Stonegate Road junctions suffer from peak period congestion. Designs for proposed improvements have been developed and now form part of the overall transport improvements proposed". I wonder what they have in mind? I recall some years back now that a tunnel carrying Harrogate Road under the Ring Road was proposed but it never seemed to be heard about again!

PS. The 2 'Bat hops' marked on the proposed route map intrigue me .

[raveydavey]

The 'bat hops' puzzled me too - especially as permission was reportedly given to the development going up at Grimes Dyke on the basis that there were no bats there anymore (even though lots of people claim that they still see them around the area...)

You're right about the plans for the Harrogate Road / Ring Road junction - the initial plan was a motorway style intersection with one road going over the other (can't remember which way round though, after all these years!) and for the Ring Road to be upgraded to dual carriageway all the way through to the Windmill Roundabout at Seacroft. These plans were pushed for some time and then abandoned due to a concerted campaign from the Moortown Ring Road residents.
This makes it very interesting to read the section you refer to about the 'designs for proposed improvements', especially as the plan clearly states that they are expecting the new road to move all the congestion currently between Selby Road and the A58 on the Ring Road along to the Park Lane junction which is a clear pinch point to anyone with a cursory knowledge of the area...