Welcome for moves to tackle parking problems in suburb

Moves to try to tackle parking and traffic problems in a Leeds suburb have been welcomed.

Leeds Council is looking to take action after residents addressed a full council meeting in January to voice their concerns about safety issues regarding traffic and parking in the Alma Road, Wood Lane and Shire Oak Road area of Headingley. Residents spoke of problems with illegal, dangerous and inconsiderate parking in the area.

They raised concerns about rat-running, accidents and difficulty of access for emergency and other services as well as safety hazards for children, pedestrians and cyclists.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Officers from the highways department have since met with the delegation organisers and visited the area to see the problems first hand.

Members of Leeds Council’s executive will be asked to support a number of actions when they meet on Wednesday.

These include maintenance of the existing road markings, arranging appropriate traffic parking surveys, subsequent consideration of changes to parking restrictions and advising the organisers of the process and costs of introducing a parking restriction traffic order on the private section of Wood Lane.

A report to be considered by councillors says: “There is evidence of parked vehicles causing access difficulties and potential safety concerns for some road users, including pedestrians. The suggested actions will ensure existing restrictions are enforceable and the parking surveys will provide evidence for any changes in parking restrictions to be considered.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Headingley Councillor James Monaghan welcomed the proposals but said he thought the council could do more.

He said: “I am pleased that the council has met with the organisers of the delegation and gone out with them to see for themselves the parking problems that we have around Wood Lane. For too long these problems have been getting worse.

“The council has acknowledged that these are serious issues and have identified some ways of improving the situation.

“I still think there’s more they could be doing, such as expanding residents’ only parking and improving visibility at junctions, but this is nonetheless a positive start.”