Proposals have been unveiled for a new two-plus car lane and associated work on the A647 Bradford-bound stretch of road from Armley gyratory to the Mike's Carpets building.

The massive roundabout is one of the city's busiest junctions and is the major through-route to outer west Leeds and Bradford.

It is also one of the city's worst accident blackspots, with 55 incidents in five years.

City highways chiefs hope the new scheme will speed up traffic and get more people on the buses as delays are cut.

However, people living nearby have overwhelmingly rejected an initial blueprint, saying the project is a "monstrosity" which will wall them in and sign the death knell for the area's own economy.

It is feared it will also mean lengthy delays for motorists, who have already endured five months of roadworks on nearby Canal Road.
Council highways officers unveiled the plans at a meeting of the Armley community forum saying it was "very much a work in progress" which was designed simply to reduce congestion and make bus travel more attractive.

As well as a 24-hour HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lane, the plans include a 2.5 foot retaining wall leading up to Mike's Carpets.

Armley Labour councillor Alison Lowe said the wall would be a "concrete monstrosity" and the scheme could be disastrous for the local economy.

"It would be much better to do something that will make people come to Armley, not drive past it, but clearly we are not important," she said.

"The only people it will help is those going to the green promised lands of Bingley and Shipley and Pudsey.

"We have had the walls of the prison for 100 years, now they are inflicting more walls on us.

"Armley has suffered enough over the years. On one hand they are saying 'let's regenerate Armley' and giving us fresh hope, but how will this benefit Armley?

"The whole thing is badly thought out."

A detailed blueprint of the proposals is yet to be drawn up by Leeds City Council, and there will be local consultation before any final approval.

However, the council has confirmed it is applying for £2m of central Government traffic grants to pay for the project.

A spokeswoman said the new outbound HOV lane, starting at Armley Road and leading up to Mike's Carpets, would be similar to the existing HOV lane on the inbound stretch of the A647 on Stanningley Road and would speed up bus and two-plus car journey times.

One concerned Armley homeowner said the project would make the gyratory "a bigger bottleneck than it is now".

Another said the project was in effect "defeating everything we are doing to improve the approach to Armley and west Leeds".

As well as the new two-plus lane and retaining wall, the proposals include widening the road to allow the lanes to merge and an expansion of the attached footpath, which would reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians on Stanningley Road, another recent accident blackspot.