Major roadworks begin at busy Lawnswood roundabout in Leeds
About 50,000 vehicles use the roundabout every day, according to Leeds City Council.The authority said the junction lacked adequate crossing points and was a "major barrier" for people who wanted to walk or cycle, especially to nearby Lawnswood School.The project will include the installation of traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and segregated cycle lanes.The existing southbound bus lane on Otley Road will also be extended and the speed limit on the A6120 Ring Road, between King Lane and the roundabout, will be reduced from 70mph (112km/h) to stretches of 40 and 50mph (64 and 80km/h).
'Nightmare junction'
Rose Cooper, 64, lives in Adel and said that she and many other residents who regularly walk to Headingley have to cross at the roundabout."It is a nightmare, trying to cross the junctions, there's no provision for getting us across," she said.When she has tried to cross, she said she "always feels my heart is in my mouth"."I'm relying on a kind driver to slow down or flash their lights to let me across," she said.Ms Cooper said she accepted the work would cause a lot of disruption, but added that it would be "worth it in the long term"."It will be very beneficial to the local community," she said.
'Dangerous for cyclists'
Mary-Ann Bouchard and her husband, Adrian, also live in Adel and said they thought Lawnswood roundabout was "very dangerous," particularly for cyclists and pedestrians. Mrs Bouchard said their son cycled regularly into the city centre via the roundabout."There is so much traffic, and it goes so fast, people aren't aware of cyclists," she said. Her husband agreed: "Cars come at 70mph so it can be dangerous for pedestrians, as there is no chance to get through."We've tried crossing and you do feel like you're taking your life in your hands."Both agreed that the changes would be worth the disruption, but added that people should be encouraged to use public transport to reduce the number of vehicles on the road.
'A lot of disruption'
Derek Cockerham, 63, and his wife Ann live in Headingley and had been on a walk when they tried to cross at Lawnswood roundabout.Mr Cockerham said it had been a "real problem as there is no crossing," and said he would support improvements at the site. Lawnswood School is close to the roundabout and Mr Cockerham said he had wondered how pupils get there safely with no pedestrian crossing.The couple said they were aware of a campaign to save trees close to the roundabout from being cut down during the works and said any improvements should not require the trees to be removed. However, Mr Cockerham added that the project would cause "quite a disruption," as previous roundabouts had taken a "really long time" to complete.
On social media, one user said they were already having to re-route around other roadworks in the city and would now have to look for a different way past Lawnswood roundabout.Another said the works meant "more years of disruption", following other projects across the city including three years of work on Armley Gyratory.The work at Lawnswood roundabout is being funded by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.The council's deputy leader Jonathan Pryor said the road had "high volumes of cyclists, pedestrians and bus users, but the junction lacks proper crossing facilities and is a major barrier for walking and cycling, especially close to Lawnswood School"."Having a junction with poor safety record right next to a school is essential to fix, so I am delighted to see the works starting this month," he said.
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
‘Chronic' under-performance of boys at GCSE should be treated as major issue
The 'chronic' under-performance of boys at GCSE should be treated as a 'major issue', it has been suggested. Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, said the talents of boys are not being developed as 'fully' as they could be, which could lead to a 'decline in the nation's economic competitiveness'. The education expert predicted 'girls will continue to be ahead' of boys at GCSE level. Prof Smithers said: 'The apparent under-performance of boys at this stage of education should be a matter of national concern. 'But because boys are habitually seen as privileged, it does not receive the attention it deserves.' Last year, more than a fifth (21.8%) of UK GCSE entries were awarded the top grades – at least a 7 or an A grade, down from 22.0% in 2023. But it remained higher than in 2019 – the year before the pandemic – when 20.8% of GCSE entries scored the top grades. The proportion of total female entries awarded grade 7/A or above was 24.7% last year – 5.7 percentage points higher than total male entries (19.0%). Prof Smithers said: 'The chronic under-performance of boys in education should be treated as a major issue. 'It appears that we are not developing the talents of half the population as fully as we could. 'This can only lead to a decline in the nation's economic competitiveness and ultimately loss of its standing in the world.' Ofqual brought A-level grading standards back in line with pre-Covid levels in England in 2023, and exam regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland returned to pre-pandemic grading last summer. The move came after Covid-19 led to an increase in top GCSE grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams. Last week, the proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades rose again on last year and remained above pre-pandemic highs Speaking before GCSE results day, Prof Smithers suggested the proportion of GCSE entries scoring the top grades this year was likely to 'remain high' compared to 2019 – the year before the pandemic. He said: 'It could be we are seeing the emergence of a new normal in which case 2025 will resemble 2024, or the regulators could make a further push to get back to pre-pandemic levels.' While traditional A*-G grades are used for GCSE in Northern Ireland and Wales, these have been replaced in England with a 9-1 system, where 9 is the highest. A 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade, and a 7 is broadly equivalent to an A. In England, many students who do not secure at least a grade 4 – which is considered a 'standard pass' – in English and/or maths GCSE are required to retake the subjects during post-16 education. In his report, Prof Smithers reiterated calls for a 'policy rethink' on compulsory resits as he suggested they were 'soul-destroying' and 'utterly demoralising'. He said: 'There should be an urgent review of the resit requirement, with a view to replacing it with a programme and qualification which would enable those failing the GCSEs to achieve fluency in the use of words and numbers.' Prof Smithers also reiterated calls for the English Baccalaureate – a Government measure which aims to ensure pupils take English, maths, science, a humanities subject and a language at GCSE – to be 'scrapped' as he suggested the policy had 'failed' due to low take-up of foreign languages. Reflecting on provisional exam entries data for England, Prof Smithers highlighted that GCSE entries for French and German have fallen again. Spanish has overtaken French as the most popular foreign language at GCSE, provisional figures from Ofqual in June suggest. In his report, Prof Smithers said: 'Quite why there has been this surge in popularity is unclear, but it may have something to do with the increasing popularity of Spanish-speaking countries as holiday destinations.' He added: 'A more prosaic explanation is that Spanish is seen as easier than French or German.' A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'We want every young person, whatever their gender, background or wherever they live to have the opportunity to succeed. 'The curriculum and assessment review is currently considering where improvements should be made to the education system, with its final report and recommendations due in the autumn. 'Later this year we will also bring about the further reforms needed as part of our plan for change through our Schools White Paper to create an education system where every child and young person can achieve and thrive.'
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Killer sudoku 983
Click here to access the print version. Normal sudoku rules apply, except the numbers in the cells contained within dotted lines add up to the figures in the corner. No number can be repeated within each shape formed by dotted lines. To see the completed puzzle, buy the next issue of the Guardian (for puzzles published Monday to Thursday). Solutions to Friday and Saturday puzzles are given in either Saturday's or Monday's edition.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Britain's 'world standing' at risk from boys 'chronic' lower results at GCSE
Boys are 'chronically underperforming' at GCSE and Britain's 'world standing' will be harmed by it, according to a new report. Author Professor Alan Smithers believes the issue is being ignored because of 'fashionable narratives' that frame boys as 'privileged'. His research for Buckingham University predicts boys will lag behind girls as usual when their GCSE results are released this Thursday. Last year, 24.7 per cent of female entries achieved at least a grade 7 – the equivalent to the old A – 5.7 percentage points higher than the 19 per cent of male entries that achieved it. Boys have been behind girls in getting these top grades for the last 35 years, with a 1.5 percentage point gap in 1989 rising to 7.3 in 2017. Professor Smithers said it would ultimately hit the country's ability to compete globally if other nations were able to get more out of their male pupils. He said: 'The chronic under-performance of boys in education should be treated as a major issue. 'It appears that we are not developing the talents of half the population as fully as we could. 'This can only lead to a decline in the nation's economic competitiveness and ultimately loss of its standing in the world.' The report, from Buckingham's Centre for Education and Employment Research (CEER), found that girls were also ahead at the very top grade of 9, the equivalent of a high A*. Last year, 5.8 per cent of girls got a grade 9, compared with just 4.3 per cent of boys – also a long-term trend. Noting that more girls now enter university than boys, Professor Smithers added: 'It seems that girls are more aware of the value of education and apply themselves more diligently to the hard work involved.' However, Professor Smithers said the poor performance of boys is being ignored because 'boys are habitually seen as privileged'. Last year, he called for a high-level inquiry into the underperformance of boys in his annual GCSE report. 'I was met with the complacent view that since men usually came out on top anyway what's to worry about,' he said. 'Our policy makers seem to be content for the hard evidence of the exam results to be over-ridden by fashionable narratives.' Professor Smithers also said grades could 'remain high' this year – as on A-level day – but equally regulators could decide bring down grade inflation. Last year, 21.8 per cent of all entries got at least a grade 7, down from 22.0 per cent in 2023. However it was still higher than 2019, before the pandemic, when 20.8 per cent got these grades. In the Covid years of 2020 to 2022, grades were wildly inflated due to teachers deciding grades, and since then regulators have been trying to return grades to 2019 levels. In his wide-ranging report, Professor Smithers also reiterated calls for the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) – a government measure encouraging take-up of hard subjects including languages – to be 'scrapped' as he suggested the policy had 'failed' due to low take-up of French and German. A Department for Education spokesman said: 'We want every young person, whatever their gender, background or wherever they live to have the opportunity to succeed. 'The Curriculum and Assessment Review is currently considering where improvements should be made to the education system, with its final report and recommendations due in the autumn. 'Later this year we will also bring about the further reforms needed as part of our Plan for Change through our Schools White Paper to create an education system where every child and young person can achieve and thrive.'
