News on Connecting West Leeds Phase 2

Leeds City Council will soon install the first permanent average-speed cameras in West Yorkshire, which will be located on the A6120 Outer Ring Road and the A647 Stanningley Bypass, and form part of the Connecting West Leeds scheme.

The speed cameras are being installed as part of a wider strategy which has been created by the West Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership, consisting of local authorities across West Yorkshire and West Yorkshire Police. The strategy works to recognise ‘high risk’ locations, either where speed-related casualties have happened or there is clear evidence of speeding.

Since the strategy’s launch in February 2023, the council have reviewed some of Leeds’ busiest roads, which has resulted in the A6120 Outer Ring Road and A647 Stanningley Bypass receiving support for the introduction of average speed camera enforcements.

The current speed limits were reviewed and a reduction from 70mph/60mph to a continuous 50mph will be introduced. The speed reduction to 50mph on the A6120 Outer Ring Road and A647 Stanningley Bypass, from Horsforth roundabout to Stanningley Bypass at Henconner Lane Bridge, formed part of the Connecting West Leeds Phase 2 consultation last year and received a 62 per cent positive response.

The existing fixed speed cameras located on A647 Stanningley Bypass, that are to be replaced by average speed cameras, will be relocated to A647 Stanningley Road at the following locations: the central reserve near to Armley Grange Drive junction and the central reserve near to Redcote Lane junction. They will be able to enforce both east and westbound directions of traffic and are in addition to the three mobile camera bays that are currently installed on A647 Stanningley Road near the junctions of Moorfield Road, Cockshott Lane and Houghley Lane.

The council will begin installing the cameras in autumn 2023.

Further info:

The average-speed cameras do not include those used by National Highways on motorways, including motorways in Leeds and West Yorkshire.

Any new speed limit has to conform to the requirements in the Department for Transport’s Setting Local Speed Limits publication, which ensures that a consistent assessment methodology is adopted nationally when making speed limit requests. Whilst we understand and appreciate that some members of the community requested a reduction to 40mph, the roads in question did not meet the requirements. However, the roads would support a reduction to 50mph, enforced by the new average-speed limit cameras.

Average-speed camera enforcement shall also be applied on A647 Bradford Road/Leeds Road from Thornbury roundabout to Dawsons Corner. The cameras will enforce the existing 40mph speed limit and aim to address ongoing collisions and existing traffic speeding issues along this route.