Speed limit cut plan for busy ring road stretch

Speed limits are to be cut on a stretch of a busy ring road as part of a £13m scheme aimed at improving the safety of a major roundabout and cutting delays.

The current 70mph (112km/h) speed limit on the A6120 Leeds ring road, between the Lawnswood roundabout and King Lane junction, is to be reduced on one stretch to 50mph (80km/h) and to 40mph (64km/h) on another.

Pedestrian crossings, traffic signals and cycle lanes have also been proposed as part of the Lawnswood Roundabout Improvement Scheme.

The roundabout, where the ring road meets Otley Road, had a long-standing poor safety record, according to a Leeds City Council report.

The report stated the proximity of the roundabout to Lawnswood School "lends particular weight to the importance of providing safe crossing facilities in this location".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, designs had already been drawn up for the roundabout scheme, with the construction phase subject to separate approval by the authority.

The report said development and delivery of the scheme did "not require use of Leeds City Council funds", with funding instead provided by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and central government.

The scheme should reduce people's dependence on cars by making walking, cycling and bus use easier, the report said.

The council planned to publish legal notices required to implement the project and public objections to the Traffic Regulation Orders would have to be considered by the council's chief highways officer, it added.

The orders would allow for parking and loading restrictions at the roundabout, along with a bus lane extension.

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