Local Councillors are pressing for a resolution for the cycle lane issue outside 311 – 335 Roundhay Road, Northbound around the junction with Easterly Road. The Traffic section in the Council has prepared the following proposal and requested that it is considered at the next Cycling Consultation Forum on Wednesday 8th January. Differences of views between traders and cyclists will need to be taken to Councillor Richard Lewis to discuss.
The idea of the proposal is that the cycle lane is most needed in the peak outbound times that and the relaxation of parking restrictions at other times would benefit traders. A plan of the area can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
Currently the restrictions are:
No waiting At any time
No loading Mon - Fri 08.00 – 09.15 and 16.30 - 18.00; Sat 08.00 - 09.15 and 12 noon - 13.00.
Proposed new parking restrictions:
No waiting Mon - Sat 08.00 - 09.15 and 16.30 - 18.00
No loading Mon - Fri 16.30 - 18.00.
A cycle count at the location was undertaken on 10th December and confirmed that peak cycle use Northbound (out of Leeds) is between 1730 and 1900. During this time 43 cyclists were counted in the cycle lane plus 4 on the footway, and 15 vehicles parked in the cycle lane. Over the full day, 93 cyclists used the lane and 13 passed on the pavement with 103 vehicles parked in the cycle lane. The comments noted a high proportion of illegal parking, though usually for short stays.
Our view is that even though the cycle lane is not heavily used, safe movement of cycles should be prioritised over parking in this location. Parking is provided off the street outside several of these shops, and perhaps would be better used if it wasn't so difficult to cross the junction on foot. This is a tricky junction for cycling anyway, without being impeded by parked vehicles. The starting principle should be that if a cycle lane is going to be provided, it should always be free from parked vehicles, and this should be properly enforced. We'll be producing a briefing soon about the benefits of cycling to local businesses.
OECD research in Copenhagen shows that while drivers spend 15.3 bn Kr per year, cyclists spend 15.4 bn. In Melbourne, retail revenue was more than 3x higher for bike parking compared to car parking. High tech business leaders have stated they are now choosing where to locate based on whether the city is cycle friendly. Research by Sustrans shows that businesses consistently overestimate the importance of cars and parking to their customer base and undersestimate the importance of cycling and walking.
Please feed back your comments on our Facebook group, or email us using the contact <at> leedscyclingcampaign address. Please also feel free to attend the Leeds Cycling Consultation Forum on Wednesday 8th January if this issue affects you.
Google streetview of the location.
