Major Tour de France host unveils transport masterplan

Plans aimed at keeping the city tasked with launching Yorkshire’s first ever Tour de France stage on July 5 have been released today.
Cyclists try out the Tour de France route through YorkshireCyclists try out the Tour de France route through Yorkshire
Cyclists try out the Tour de France route through Yorkshire

Leeds City Council is calling on residents to plan ahead after it announced that roads on or connected to stage one in Leeds will be closed for at least eight hours on race day.

Most of the roads are expected to shut from 7am to 3pm.

Vehicle access to the city centre will be restricted, while the Tour infrastructure including the publicity caravan of vehicles, spectators and the race itself moves in and out of the city.

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The plans, put together with help from emergency services, mean the route must be cleared of all public vehicles prior to the closures. A revised bus timetable and park and ride service will be released nearer to the event.

Coun Lucinda Yeadon, the council’s lead member for leisure, said every effort is being made to minimise disruption.

She said: “We want everyone to start planning now how they can make the absolute most of it.”

The closures follow the route of stage one, which starts on The Headrow and covers portions of Eastgate, Regent Street, Scott Hall Road, Harrogate Road, the A659 from Harewood, following Otley Road and Arthington Lane through Pool-in-Wharfedale and on to Otley before heading out of the district through Ilkley. Through traffic will not be permitted during the closures, though there will be very limited access from the Leeds Inner Ring Road.

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Meanwhile the 30,000 people who applied to become Tour Makers are now being asked to fill in a final application. The volunteer officials will greet visitors and marshall parts of the three UK stages.

Visit www.leeds.gov.uk/granddepartleeds for Tour details or email [email protected] for regular Leeds City Council Tour updates.