Cycling in Leeds city centre, a rant 😒

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Dadam

Über Member
Location
SW Leeds
TL;DR: not very good!

I popped into the centre today, intending to go to John Lewis.
My office is a little ways south of the centre so going north from Dewsbury Road area. First impression was good. there's a very nice 2 way segregated cycle path either side of the big figure 8 gyratory round Meadow Road area. That didn't last long, signs saying cycleway closed then barriers and roadworks. And actual workmen, some of whom even appeared to be doing stuff.

Great, now where?? When they close a road they have to plan a diversion and put signs up. I guess cycleways aren't important so they can randomly close them. Normally I'd just shrug and use the road but this is a massive 1-way loop and I'd have to go right round and take at least a half mile diversion. So f##k it, onto the pavement.

Then I need to cross the big junction, over the first crossing but hang on, even the pedestrian crossings are closed now, and there's barriers and plant across the whole thing. No way across without hopping barriers or another huge diversion.

So, ponder for a few seconds, and decide I've got to join the road which means cutting diagonally across this junction with no visible traffic signals. So it's a case of watching the other lanes and judging the traffic to guess which lanes are on red and which are green.

So now I'm on the road proper, going north past the Asda HQ. So I'll be good and stop for the red lights, as always. And btw I'm the only one on 2 wheels doing this. Up through the pedestrian areas (cycles explicitly allowed), pretty busy with peds but going v slow and careful and giving way.

A right onto King Edward St, past what used to be Debenhams. At the end now, I want to go straight on across Vicar Lane and onto a regular road and despite the retracting bollards being up there's a red traffic signal. Hmmm. OK I'll wait... and wait... getting some funny looks now. I conclude the lights will be synced to the bollards, so f##k it again. Yes I could have got off and walked but getting cheesed off now, and for sure nobody else I saw today was walking a bike. Across the street and down the road and look for the 2 fancy sculptural cycle stands that streetview shows in front of the Victoria shopping centre. Nope, they're gone!

Head a bit further down George St to JL itself. So there do seem to be a few stands outside Kirkgate Market entrance but tbh I wasn't feeling it there. Outside the market and a bit quieter, more of a service entrance area, and today's steed is a top brand e-bike. Spidey senses didn't want to lock it up there. I'd brought 2 SS Gold locks but wanted to lock it up out front in the busy, posh shopping area. I got off the bike and walked it back up through the indoor precinct (I'm not a complete animal!) to see if I'd maybe missed the bike stands, but no, not a single one on that street. Thoroughly fed up now, decided to sack off John Lewis entirely and head back to the office. On the way back again, a couple of points where pedestrian areas where cycles allowed segue into normal footways with no indication where bikes are supposed to go. Then a ninja Deliverwho rider on the usual illegal contraption tears diagonally from ped crossing to ped crossing across the road right in front of me, missing me by about 4 foot. Gets a choice word or two for his trouble but doubtless gives less than two s##ts.

I don't make a habit of going into the centre, now I'm once again reminded why. If they want folks to use bikes they need to address secure and convenient parking, and they need to actually put some thought into considering the entire route not a few short parts of it if they want folks to follow the rules doing so. It would help while planning these routes if they would bear in mind that bikes can't magically teleport between the cycleways ends and starts.

Next time I think I'll just take a longer lunch break and walk, it's way too much hassle.
 
Last edited:

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Sending clean language versions of this to your councillors might help: www.WriteToThem.com

Or it might do nothing, but not writing will definitely do nothing.
 

ExBrit

Über Member
TL;DR: not very good!

I popped into the centre today, intending to go to John Lewis.
My office is a little ways south of the centre so going north from Dewsbury Road area. First impression was good. there's a very nice 2 way segregated cycle path either side of the big figure 8 gyratory round Meadow Road area. That didn't last long, signs saying cycleway closed then barriers and roadworks. And actual workmen, some of whom even appeared to be doing stuff.

Great, now where?? When they close a road they have to plan a diversion and put signs up. I guess cycleways aren't important so they can randomly close them. Normally I'd just shrug and use the road but this is a massive 1-way loop and I'd have to go right round and take at least a half mile diversion. So f##k it, onto the pavement.

Then I need to cross the big junction, over the first crossing but hang on, even the pedestrian crossings are closed now, and there's barriers and plant across the whole thing. No way across without hopping barriers or another huge diversion.

So, ponder for a few seconds, and decide I've got to join the road which means cutting diagonally across this junction with no visible traffic signals. So it's a case of watching the other lanes and judging the traffic to guess which lanes are on red and which are green.

So now I'm on the road proper, going north past the Asda HQ. So I'll be good and stop for the red lights, as always. And btw I'm the only one on 2 wheels doing this. Up through the pedestrian areas (cycles explicitly allowed), pretty busy with peds but going v slow and careful and giving way.

A right onto King Edward St, past what used to be Debenhams. At the end now, I want to go straight on across Vicar Lane and onto a regular road and despite the retracting bollards being up there's a red traffic signal. Hmmm. OK I'll wait... and wait... getting some funny looks now. I conclude the lights will be synced to the bollards, so f##k it again. Yes I could have got off and walked but getting cheesed off now, and for sure nobody else I saw today was walking a bike. Across the street and down the road and look for the 2 fancy sculptural cycle stands that streetview shows in front of the Victoria shopping centre. Nope, they're gone!

Head a bit further down George St to JL itself. So there do seem to be a few stands outside Kirkgate Market entrance but tbh I wasn't feeling it there. Outside the market and a bit quieter, more of a service entrance area, and today's steed is a top brand e-bike. Spidey senses didn't want to lock it up there. I'd brought 2 SS Gold locks but wanted to lock it up out front in the busy, posh shopping area. I got off the bike and walked it back up through the indoor precinct (I'm not a complete animal!) to see if I'd maybe missed the bike stands, but no, not a single one on that street. Thoroughly fed up now, decided to sack off John Lewis entirely and head back to the office. On the way back again, a couple of points where pedestrian areas where cycles allowed segue into normal footways with no indication where bikes are supposed to go. Then a ninja Deliverwho rider on the usual illegal contraption tears diagonally from ped crossing to ped crossing across the road right in front of me, missing me by about 4 foot. Gets a choice word or two for his trouble but doubtless gives less than two s##ts.

I don't make a habit of going into the centre, now I'm once again reminded why. If they want folks to use bikes they need to address secure and convenient parking, and they need to actually put some thought into considering the entire route not a few short parts of it if they want folks to follow the rules doing so. It would help while planning these routes if they would bear in mind that bikes can't magically teleport between the cycleways ends and starts.

Next time I think I'll just take a longer lunch break and walk, it's way too much hassle.

Wow, commiserations mate. That sounds miserable.
 

DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
Welcome to my commute @Dadam - I come in from the south into just north of the city centre.

The path you found around Meadow Lane is OK on the far side, which is new up to Bridgewater Place, but the side you used is currently closed. And when it isn't it throws you directly into two lanes of oncoming traffic. It's all disconnected and frustrating. Oh, and if it's finished it's stop-start due to so many traffic lights on the cycle path.
 
You dont want to lock that bike up anywhere in the city centre. It will be stolen.
A 5K Electric Tern was stolen last week from near the Bus Station.
Get the bus and walk if you cant take the bike in with you.
 

DRM

Guru
Location
West Yorks
The whole of Leeds City Centre is a complete and utter shambles, doesn't matter how your getting round, the council have created a City Centre that's impossible to access for deliveries and maintenance of the shops and any equipment they have in them, I've got one customer that I physically cannot get to in the van to service the FLT, yet you can access them via the new bus gate between 10pm & 5 am, let me see, I don't think so, I think many large shops will call it a day & leave, either to a retail park or just go altogether, Leeds City Council have killed the City off totally
 

Badger_Boom

Veteran
Location
York
I haven't cycled in Leeds for a long time, but when I've visited our office on foot recently (it's not far from Bridgewater Place and Asda HQ) I've noticed that a lot of the new cycle and ped infrastructure feels quite unintuitive. It also seems to baffle a lot of drivers who area struggling with the supposedly ped-friendly uncontrolled junctions.
 

wiggydiggy

Legendary Member
I was in on Thursday, route is I come down the A58 from Drighlington and then just close to the Armley Gyratory I use the footbridge to get accross over onto Whitehall Road and into the centre.

So firstIy the segragated cycing lanes don't start far enough out. There was traffic queuing from the Lower Wortley A6110/A58 roundabout right to the Geldard Road/A58 roundabout. Now although I'm fairly comfortable either passing staionary traffic on inside/outside (when safe) the road condition has deterioated that much since I last did it I can't do both eyes up for traffice and eyes down for bloody great big potholes. Having crimanal drivers on their phones doesn't help either - I ended up putting my main front light on full to try an make people aware I am around them

Then once the segrated lanes do start they are not completely joined up, and those that are there are either blocked by construction/traffic/nobbers on phones and often put you in a dangerous situation. The one I've linked below should really have the joining road (St Pauls Street) entering from the right being controlled with a Stop, not a give way, drivers simply do not look to the left for any cyclists approaching from that direction. https://maps.app.goo.gl/EsnRmN7yqWvUcX8j6

As for parking I think I've posted before possibly in this thread, there isn't any secure and monitored cycle storage in Leeds City Centre. I'm fortunate I have an office with inside parking that I can also use at weekends when I cycle in but for everyone else its the street or don't bother.
 

classic33

Leg End Member
I was in on Thursday, route is I come down the A58 from Drighlington and then just close to the Armley Gyratory I use the footbridge to get accross over onto Whitehall Road and into the centre.

So firstIy the segragated cycing lanes don't start far enough out. There was traffic queuing from the Lower Wortley A6110/A58 roundabout right to the Geldard Road/A58 roundabout. Now although I'm fairly comfortable either passing staionary traffic on inside/outside (when safe) the road condition has deterioated that much since I last did it I can't do both eyes up for traffice and eyes down for bloody great big potholes. Having crimanal drivers on their phones doesn't help either - I ended up putting my main front light on full to try an make people aware I am around them

Then once the segrated lanes do start they are not completely joined up, and those that are there are either blocked by construction/traffic/nobbers on phones and often put you in a dangerous situation. The one I've linked below should really have the joining road (St Pauls Street) entering from the right being controlled with a Stop, not a give way, drivers simply do not look to the left for any cyclists approaching from that direction. https://maps.app.goo.gl/EsnRmN7yqWvUcX8j6

As for parking I think I've posted before possibly in this thread, there isn't any secure and monitored cycle storage in Leeds City Centre. I'm fortunate I have an office with inside parking that I can also use at weekends when I cycle in but for everyone else its the street or don't bother.
Seems like not a lot has changed over the years. Stationary traffic on that section of the A58 was a problem years ago. Conditions permitting I move to the outside, as there's always someone who'll move towards the kerb to try and block you.
 

alicat

Squire
Location
Staffs
Ah, Leeds traffic system. The moral when I was growing up and had just learnt to drive was that if you could see where you wanted to be you'd gone wrong....
 

wiggydiggy

Legendary Member
Seems like not a lot has changed over the years. Stationary traffic on that section of the A58 was a problem years ago. Conditions permitting I move to the outside, as there's always someone who'll move towards the kerb to try and block you.

Someone did exactly that lol But it was cyclist on the outside that was passing that made the driver think they were being helpful 😂
 

DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
@wiggydiggy - I was on St Paul's Street yesterday, using that same corner, and it was OK-ish. One car pulled out, but then stopped. However, there have been a few times when they just drive out without thinking and imo it's a serious accident waiting to happen. The green paint doesn't make it safe.
 
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