A support worker “dreads going out” as a Leeds City Council scheme to improve a busy junction has “all gone Pete Tong,” causing traffic chaos.
Catherine, 42, says she has been made late to work everyday and regularly has to spend £20 on an Uber as the buses "don’t turn up" due to the gridlock in the Armley area.
The grandma-of-one is pointing the finger of blame at changes made to the Branch Road / Stanningley Road junction. The council put restrictions on the junction, so drivers cannot make a left turn or go straight across from Branch Road.
Read more: Leeds ex-soldier forced to live in council flat with poo-smeared door and bullet hole
The council says this is part of the A647 Bus Priority Corridor scheme, from September 2021, which aims to improve bus journeys. It has blamed the more recent congestion on ongoing work to the traffic signals and emergency gas works on Armley Road.
Catherine, from Farnley, travels to work from Town Street, Armley, after dropping one of her children off from school there. She’s described her journey from Armley to Leeds city centre as “nightmare,” with the 16, 72, 14 or 15 regularly not turning up.
She’s added “it’s not fair” as her job is to help people which is harder to do when she arrives to work in a bad mood.
Catherine said: “I’m late to work every day. I’m having to pay £20 in an Uber to get to work. It’s causing problems everywhere. It’s backing up traffic on Stanningley Road which is then coming up Armley Town Street and buses are just not even getting there. The traffic backs right up to Bramley.
“It’s ridiculous, it’s a nightmare. It’s awful because it’s ruining my day before I get to work and I’m supposed to be supporting people and helping people. If I’m not in a good mindset, upset, irate or worried I’m going to be late and then I’m rushing to get to work, it’s not fair. Every morning, I dread going out because I’m thinking of how long it’s going to take me. Since they changed that junction, it’s all gone Pete Tong.”
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “The changes made at the Branch Road / Stanningley Road junction form part of the A647 Bus Priority Corridor scheme.
"As part of the Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy, Leeds City Council is implementing schemes to make buses more attractive. The A647 Bus Priority Corridor scheme forms part of this strategy, and included changes at this junction, as well as implementation of new bus lanes on Armley Road, Stanningley Road and Bradford Road. The improvements made by the scheme is expected to significantly reduce bus journey times and improve reliability.
“The changes at the Branch Road / Stanningley Road junction included removing left turn and straight across movements from Branch Road. Numerous configurations of this junction were tested during the design stage, and the removal of these movements was found to be essential if a significant increase in capacity were to be realised at this junction. The increase in capacity benefits buses as well as general traffic. The new layout was implemented in September 2021.
“Traffic modelling undertaken during the development of the proposals suggested that there would be large benefits for buses on the main east-west routes along the A647 corridor. Specifically, journey times for inbound services on this route were expected to reduce by around 8 minutes in the morning peak, and for outbound services by around 7 minutes in the afternoon peak. Whilst inbound services on Town Street are not expected to benefit significantly from the new layout, some outbound services on Town Street will benefit from the new bus lane on Armley Road.
“Whilst construction of the A647 Bus Priority Corridor scheme is substantially complete, work to optimise operation of the traffic signals along the route is ongoing, and we expect congestion in the area to reduce as this work progresses. This ongoing work will benefit buses as well as general traffic. It is also worth noting that the on-going emergency gas works on Armley Road are contributing to some disruption in this area due to the temporary traffic signals required, this is not related to the A647 Bus Priority Corridor scheme. The gas escape works are anticipated to complete by October 21, unless further works become apparent.
“Experience from similar schemes in Leeds and elsewhere in the country suggests that making improvements to bus journeys helps to increase bus use, and to encourage people to switch from car to bus. Early feedback from bus drivers along the corridor is positive with a 7-8 minute saving on their journey times along the route. By residents choosing public transport over private vehicles use, it helps reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, and also frees up capacity on the highway network for those who do need to travel by car."
A spokesperson for First Bus said: “Road infrastructure development completed recently on the A647 corridor into Leeds, in particular Stanningley Road outside Armley Park, has created a bus priority lane which is vital to maintaining trip reliability.
“We are seeing an increase in peak traffic congestion generally, which highlights that bus priority is even more important than ever to help the network operate effectively.
“There have been roadworks in the area approaching Armley Prison and shopping districts over the past week and these have caused severe delays. A burst water main on Wednesday led to the closure of Kirkstall Road, adding to congestion in Armley This has regrettably meant we have had to cancel some services or divert routes such as the X6 to maintain reliability.
“When delays on the road network force us to make alterations, we aim to notify customers as soon as possible with regular updates on our social media and website.”
Read next:
- 'Dirty, filthy' Leeds takeaway 'dripping with grease' ordered to deep clean
- Leeds man who can't get NHS dentist appointment forced to pull out own teeth using booze and Ibuprofen to numb pain
- Recovering Leeds drug addicts 'sick of' junkies smoking crack in their street and begging them for cash
- Liz Truss statement as she resigns as Prime Minister
- 'We feel afraid of those in power': Life in Leeds' Black communities in 2022
