Residents in Belle Isle are being urged to back a campaign to provide safe pedestrian access to Belle Isle Circus.
The Circus has been improved in recent years with fencing to keep quad bikes off it, a fun trail for kids and lots of new planting, but the road is very busy and difficult to cross. The campaign is calling on the council’s Highways department to carry out a survey and recommend solutions such as zebra crossings or traffic lights.
The campaign is being led by three local residents, Trevor Brown, Gerry Roberts and John Oddy (pictured) who sit on the board of Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation (BITMO) which manages council housing in Belle Isle. They’ve launched an online petition to put pressure on Highways to act, in which they say:
“As Belle Isle residents we are asking Leeds City Council to carry out a study of how to bring about safe pedestrian access to the Circus. This could include pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, traffic calming and a 20mph zone.
“We ask Leeds to finish the study in time to include the outcomes in the 2026/27 budget.”
Peter Sutton, BITMO’s Community Development Manager, commented:
“This is all part of Belle Isle coming together to reclaim Belle Isle Circus as a safe space for the community. Almost everyone has played a part – BITMO’s Board, Parks, Belle Isle Senior Action, Ward councillors, Mears Foundation, Public Health and the older residents around the Circus. We’ve seen the fence to keep the quads off, the orchard, the planters, street lighting, a fun trail, the brass band concert and we are about to have a balance beam. We need Highways to come through with safe pedestrian access to take this project to the next level.
“It’s a major route for people on foot, and a route to Windmill School. We don’t have the answers – we need Highways to come up with plans for things like pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, traffic calming and a 20mph zone around the Circus – anything so that Belle Isle residents can get safely on and off the Circus. They promised this by May 2024, so we will see if this resident-led petition gives them a push to complete it.”
The campaign has the support of local councillors with Cllr Wayne Dixon (SDP, Middleton Park) telling South Leeds Life:
“We are 100% behind this campaign and we will continue to lobby the council for this popular pedestrian route to be safer. People have been crossing here since I can remember, it has always been a nightmare to navigate across and that needs to change.
“Today the Circus has gone from a no go area to a beautiful little park thanks to work of BITMO and its residents.
“We want the Circus to be enjoyed by more people and that means providing safe access for all. We hope that the council will invest in this either through its Highways budget or via sustainable travel networks funding.”
You can add your name to the petition here.
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