Leeds residents have opened up about what life is like beside one of the city’s busiest roundabouts which sprays so much dust all over their homes, "the curtains get stains".
Some love the “countryside” greenery Seacroft Roundabout provides, others have hit out at the "noisy boy racers” speeding around it. The busy roundabout links the Ring Road, the A64 and Barwick Road, servicing major routes across the city. It’s located in a residential area, not far from Farmfoods or the local Aldi.
DJ Sammy ‘Dreadlocks’ Glynn, 61, who’s part of reggae-dub collective Iration Steppas, has lived in a house facing the roundabout for eight years. Even though there’s “lots of noise”, he likes it and often finds himself marvelling at the greenery it provides.
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Leeds City Council has branded it a “relaxed mowing area”. There are several trees growing on it but it would be a challenge to hear any birds chirping around it.
Sammy, a grandfather-of-five, said: “To be honest with you, I like it. To me, this is the countryside of the city. I don’t mind a bit of peace and quiet. But it’s nice to hear a bit of life, I don’t mind it. I get to see lots of vehicles.
“We see horse and carts, as there are some travellers who live nearby, funeral parlours and everything. The only time I really come out here is if I’m doing a bit of work or getting my car. Otherwise, I’m in the back.
“Out at the front, there’s lots of noise. But inside, you can’t hear it. And out in the garden in the evening, it’s much quieter.”
'Stains our curtains'
Sammy’s neighbour Ron Dixon has lived there for 40 years. He’s worried the sheer amount of pollution across the road may have given him asthma. He’s said lots of dust accumulates across his house and on his car, even staining the curtains.
Ron, a grandfather of six, said: “What does worry me is the pollution. I’ve got asthma. If we leave the upstairs windows open, the curtains get stains on them. Plus, there’s a lot of dust in the house and sometimes it can feel a bit oily.
“Sometimes I stand at the gate and can see traffic coming up from York Road and they’re coing around it at 40 miles an hour. They can see there’s a roundabout! Why are they doing that? It doesn’t help anybody.”
Dog walker Ann Kershaw, 62, hit out at the “boy racers” who speed around the roundabout. She’s admitted she gets nervous around it and she also worries for her Huskey-Akita cross Tia, nine.
Ann, a gradmother of one, said: “It’s so busy, so much so that just recently there was an accident. There are a lot of bikers and boy racers who speed around it. They use this road as a racing the track. The traffic is quite heavy.
“I must admit when Tia goes by the side of it, I feel very wary in case a car left the road. It feels quite precarious. I’ll be honest with you, I feel a little bit nervous around because I don’t trust the drivers with the way they drive.”
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