Vicar Lane to open to buses travelling both ways for first time in over 50 years, improving journeys and traffic circulation in Leeds city centre

Saturday, 20 February 2021 19:35

Vicar Lane in central Leeds will reopen to bus traffic going both ways on Sunday 21 February, improving reliability and journey times by removing a bottleneck on The Headrow at New Briggate.

The reopening marks the first time buses will have travelled northbound on Vicar Lane since the road was closed to one way traffic in 1964.

From Sunday (21 February), northbound buses that normally travel up New Briggate will divert to Vicar Lane, which will be open to buses and taxis only during peak periods. The council proposes to make the southbound lane open to buses and taxis only during the day-time south of Harrison Street.

This will make it possible to close the lower section of New Briggate to traffic later this year which will provide an opportunity to further enhance the pedestrian experience. When this happens, access to the upper section of New Briggate will be retained via Harrison Street, which will reopen later this year.

Bus stops on New Briggate will no longer be served and services will permanently move to Vicar Lane. The services affected by these changes are: 2, 3, 3A, 7, 7A, 7S, X7, 11, 11A, 12, 13, 13A, 36, 843

The Vicar Lane improvements are part of the £20 million+ Connecting Leeds Headrow scheme which has been underway since 2019 and is expected to be completed in spring this year.

It is planned to bring major improvements across the city centre, with less traffic congestion, more reliable and shorter bus journey times, more attractive bus stops and better waiting facilities for passengers. This will enable easier connections between bus and rail services, and safer, greener, more attractive streets for pedestrians and cyclists.

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