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Major changes will take place to vehicle movement in the city centre, as construction work over the weekend (16-18 June) introduces a new 24-hour East Parade bus gate.

The new 24-hour bus gate on East Parade (where its junction meets South Parade) comes into effect from 5am Monday 19 June. After this, only buses, emergency vehicles, bikes and hackney carriages will be able to use the East Parade bus gate.

Motorists travelling from the Headrow or passing through the new bus gate north from South Parade, will be in breach of traffic restrictions. Traffic enforcement cameras will start to be activated over the coming weeks; motorists need to plan their journeys appropriately.

At the same time, Calverley Street will also see changes from one-way northbound to two-way, for access purposes. It will therefore not be possible for motorists to access The Headrow when travelling southbound on Calverley Street. The roads becoming two-way is a major change and pedestrians should take extra care when approaching and crossing.

Map to show access for vehicles avoiding City Square Bus Gates and East Parade

These form part of Leeds City Council plans to make City Square people-first by removing general through-traffic away from the city centre. This work is part of the final phase to complete City Square highways changes by the end of August.

From 7pm Friday 16 June along East Parade, South Parade, Bedford Street, and Infirmary Street, a series of night-time lane and road closures will take place. During the final 24-hours prior to the switchover, there will be further closures between 7pm and 5am, with bus and signed vehicle diversions in place. Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout for businesses, residents, and emergency services.

Starting on Tuesday 20 June, for five weeks Yorkshire Water will be carrying out deep sewer replacement works on Great George Street. All city centre works are co-ordinated to minimise delays and Yorkshire Water delayed their works until the bus gate was finished. This will mean lane closures and traffic management, with motorists urged to plan ahead and to allow more time for their journeys.

Major changes are taking place to vehicle movement in the city centre, as King Street and Thirsk Row are becoming two-way, starting on Sunday 8 January 2023.

These form part of Leeds City Council plans to make City Square people-first by removing general through-traffic away from the area. This next phase will facilitate works to the area in front of the Queens Hotel. There will also be no longer vehicle access to Wellington Street. Buses and taxis will need to travel via Infirmary Street and Kings Street to access Wellington Street.

From 6am Sunday 8 January, the following city centre road layout changes will occur:

- The current one-way direction of travel running from Thirsk Row via Wellington Street and King Street (up to Infirmary Street) will no longer be in place.

- King Street and Thirsk Row will become two-way.

- Thirsk Row will become two-way for all traffic.

- King Street will have a new southbound 24-hour bus gate.

Since November works have started on the removal, alteration and replacement of existing road markings, traffic islands, signage, and signals. Some of the works will be completed before the Christmas break. The final alterations can only be done immediately prior to the change in the period before 8 January.

From Wednesday 4 January along Thirsk Row, Wellington Street, Quebec Street and King Street, a series of lane and road closures will take place. During the final 24-hours prior to the switchover, there will be further closures, however most of the works will not close the full section of road.

Access will be maintained throughout for businesses, residents, and emergency services, with the final re-surfacing works planned for the spring/summer 2023.

Additional utilities works

Works by other parties such as utilities companies and private building developers will also have an impact on the road network. The council does everything it can to co-ordinate works with these stakeholders. The timing of these phase of works has been planned to coincide with lower traffic levels, after the Christmas peak.

Starting from 4 – 22 January 2023 development utility works are planned along Whitehall Road, from the Globe Road junction towards Springwell Road junction. Yorkshire Water plan to follow these with works on Whitehall Road and Globe Road, from 23 January until 31 March, affecting the Holbeck area. They will operate under manual traffic signals 7am to 7pm to minimise disruption and seven days a week to shorten the duration of works.

Impact on buses

From 8 January, there’s also changes to bus routes affected by these new layouts and people will need to check with West Yorkshire Metro ahead of travel. The following bus services are impacted 4, 4F, 5, 5A, 14, 15, 16, 16A, 33, 34, 42, 55, 55c, 65, 75, 60, 229, 254, 255, 508, and A1.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for infrastructure and climate, said:

“I know that no one likes road works and that they cause disruption, but they are necessary to improve our road network and keep Leeds moving. We’re working as fast as we can to make these improvements and I want to thank everyone in advance for their patience. We have done work to try and minimise the disruption these works will have, but no matter the amount of planning there will be some congestion.

“That’s why it’s important to let everyone know about these significant changes on King Street, Thirsk Row and around City Square happening by 8 January. We’ve planned these works to coincide with reduced peak traffic, after the Christmas break.

“King Street and Thirsk Row becoming two-way is a major change in the city centre. For road safety purposes, we’re putting in place signage and other measures to help pedestrians who should take extra care when crossing these roads.

Leeds City Council has released new visuals showing how City Square may look once highways works have been completed, and cars and general traffic are permanently diverted away from the area.

City Square is now closed to general traffic in order to pedestrianise the area, providing a much-improved space for pedestrians and cyclists and also helping to improve journey times for public transport in the city centre.

Combined with the ongoing works at Leeds City Station as part of the Sustainable Travel Gateway, the scheme will offer a much-improved gateway to the city centre and a safer environment for people entering and exiting the station.

Removing general traffic from City Square and reducing traffic in the area will also help reduce emissions and improve air quality in the city centre, with Neville Street previously found to be one of the most polluted streets outside London.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for infrastructure and climate, said: “Removing general traffic from City Square to create a more pleasant environment has been a long time in the making, and follows careful consultation and years of planning.

“The combined effect of this scheme and the ongoing works at the station will help deliver a pedestrian-priority environment that welcomes people into our city, is much safer and cleaner, makes it easier to cycle from one end of the city to another, and also encourages more use of public transport because we are helping to improve bus journey times.

“We appreciate the works will lead to some short-term disruption and we recognise that it takes time to adjust to such a major change. We thank businesses, residents and bus operators for their patience, and we look forward to the long-term benefits once the scheme is completed.”

The main highways works, except the area immediately adjacent to the Queens Hotel, in City Square will be completed ahead of Leeds 2023’s take over of the square as a central part of the city’s Year of Culture, including a public artwork and a number of events.

The highways scheme will also complement any future public realm improvements to the area. Following the development of an initial concept design ‘The Glade’, the council is exploring funding opportunities before considering next steps.

Plan Ahead to avoid being affected by congestion

Motorists are being urged to plan ahead when travelling into Leeds city centre this weekend, using alternative methods of transport or allowing extra time for journeys to avoid being affected by traffic congestion.

The city centre recently enjoyed its busiest footfall figures since before the covid pandemic, and is expected to get even busier as more shoppers flock to the city in the run-up to Christmas.

As a result the city’s roads are getting busier, and with planned industrial action affecting rail services this weekend the council is encouraging people to plan their journeys in advance and allow extra time when travelling into the city.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for infrastructure and climate, said: “It’s fantastic to see such high footfall in the city once again as we approach the festive season, and we don’t want traffic congestion to dampen anyone’s spirits.

“If you’re planning to travel to the city centre this weekend I would encourage you to use alternative methods of transport such as the Park and Ride service, buses or cycling or walking.

The Park and Ride service is a great alternative to driving into the city. If you feel you really must drive into the city centre, please plan your journey in advance, allow extra time, and consider travelling outside of peak hours.”

Park and Ride, and alternative routes around the city

Alternative ways to travel into and around the city include:

Motorists who have no option other than to drive should consider travelling outside of peak times where possible, or use alternative routes which do not pass through the city centre, such as using Junction 4 of the M621 instead of Junction 3.

A map of alternative routes has been produced along with directions to a number of key destinations, which all avoid using Junction 3 of the M621 leading on to the route towards City Square where major highways works are currently underway.

Motorists are being urged to plan ahead when travelling into Leeds city centre this weekend, using alternative methods of transport or allowing extra time for journeys to avoid being affected by traffic congestion.

The city centre recently enjoyed its busiest footfall figures since before the covid pandemic, and is expected to get even busier as more shoppers flock to the city in the run-up to Christmas.

As a result the city’s roads are getting busier, and with planned industrial action affecting rail services this weekend the council is encouraging people to plan their journeys in advance and allow extra time when travelling into the city.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for infrastructure and climate, said: “It’s fantastic to see such high footfall in the city once again as we approach the festive season, and we don’t want traffic congestion to dampen anyone’s spirits.

“If you’re planning to travel to the city centre this weekend I would encourage you to use alternative methods of transport such as the Park and Ride service, buses or cycling or walking.

“The Park and Ride service is a great alternative to driving into the city. If you feel you really must drive into the city centre, please plan your journey in advance, allow extra time, and consider travelling outside of peak hours.”

Park and Ride, and alternative routes around the city

Alternative ways to travel into and around the city include:

Motorists who have no option other than to drive should consider travelling outside of peak times where possible, or use alternative routes which do not pass through the city centre, such as using Junction 4 of the M621 instead of Junction 3.

A map of alternative routes has been produced along with directions to a number of key destinations, which all avoid using Junction 3 of the M621 leading on to the route towards City Square where major highways works are currently underway.

Preliminary works to transform City Square into a more people-first environment will begin from Sunday 4 September.

Works to make City Square a world-class gateway to the city will begin at the start of next month. The highways works will divert all traffic away from City Square ready for its full traffic closure in February 2023. Traffic management will be in place from 00:00 4th September - meaning diversions to traffic travelling north into the city centre along Neville Street, Bishopgate Street and Swinegate will be in place.

Vehicular access through City Square on Wellington Street past the railway station and The Queens Hotel will be restricted to local property access only. Drivers wishing to gain access to the railway station pick-up/drop-off on Aire Street will need approach from the Whitehall Road direction instead of driving through the Square. General vehicular access will still be permitted to Lower Basinghall Street from Bishopgate Street for localised access and designated blue badge parking bays, as at present.

Plan ahead

Motorists who normally travel into the city centre along this route are urged to plan their journeys in advance and allow extra time and consider alternative ways to travel. This could include:

Motorists who can travel to their destination without driving through the city centre are encouraged to consider a number of diversionary routes which involve using junctions 2 and 4, off the M621.