TEMPERS have been flaring on Otley’s roads again after changes to a one-way system sparked confusion, arguments and tailbacks.

Leeds City Council was praised for listening to public feedback when it said it would be reversing the direction of one-way traffic on Charles Street and Walkergate.

But the implementation of the change last Friday did not go smoothly.

Many drivers, now accustomed to the original one-way system following its introduction in October, either did not notice or simply ignored freshly painted and installed signs and drove the wrong way.

They were shouted at by residents and other motorists - as were those who decided to rat-run down side roads instead to avoid the queues.

The situation was so chaotic on Friday morning that Outer North West Neighbourhood Policing Team sent an officer to supervise at Walkergate’s junction with Boroughgate.

Further police officers have also been sent out to try to enforce access-only restrictions on streets like Crow Lane, which have been plagued by through-traffic.

And an incident of alleged common assault on Danefield Terrace is being investigated after a local woman, who had stood in front of a car to make it slow down, was grabbed and pushed out of the way.

Side Copse resident Dan Lebath said: “The situation has gone bananas and everybody is now treating streets like ours as rat-runs.

“The police have been along but there are none out now, they have such limited resources they can only come Continued on page two Continued from page one down for half an hour or so.

“The rat-runners are starting to head off the main road sooner and sooner and using Danefield, Bremner Street, Side Copse and Crow Lane - and they aren’t sticking to 20mph or paying any attention to access-only signs. Someone is going to get hurt unless something is done.”

Fellow Otley resident Les Winder added: “The initial scheme proved to be a disaster, with dire consequences for traffic congestion. The reversed scheme is also proving to be a disaster with traffic backing up as far as Stephen Smith’s and beyond at peak times.

“Both of these consequences were predictable and to be expected. Do Leeds City Council have a methodology when they plan traffic systems before actually implementing them?”

The city council has been under fire since making Charles Street and Walkergate, along with Nelson Street, one way.

Councillor Sandy Lay (Lib Dem, Otley & Yeadon), who was bombarded with online messages on Friday, has posted an exhaustive explanation of how he sees the situation on his website.

In it, he says action had to be taken after it became apparent that the original scheme was causing a blockage at the Crossgate traffic lights that was backing up to the Bondgate junction.

He said: “We now had a situation where the centre of town was clogged because the lights couldn’t cope with the traffic coming into Otley and across Otley.

“The across-Otley traffic had previously been dissipated through Kirkgate, Crossgate, Nelson Street and Charles Street, feeding into Walkergate. This was now expected to go through two sets of lights.

“For the good of the town as a whole, and after many many complaints from residents and businesses, I lobbied for the one way system to be changed.

“I take that responsibility and will be judged by the community at election time.”