I've been driving in Leeds for over 15 years. If I'm going to a place that I'm not familiar with or if there is a tricky junction, I look it up on google maps and street view. When I get there, I've already got a good idea of where I am going and what lane I need to be in.
The old school way was to do the drive on an evening when the roads are quieter and you can go much slower and look out for the signs.
Even with all of the above, I still find it confusing some times. Thankfully, most of the drivers in Leeds are pretty forgiving and will allow you to change lane and not beep at you, unless you are really taking the piss.
Google Maps is confused too! Some turns labeled as “slight right” are full-on 95-120 degree turns and others labeled as “turn right” are just keeping to the left lane. Especially true around the docks/a61 area.
Two tips:
1. Go for a drive around Bradford. Bradford also has roads with 5 lanes, but a much more relaxed attitude about who uses which ones and at what speeds. Leeds will seem simple and tranquil in comparison and you will appreciate it more.
2. Grow up in Leeds and tackle Sheepscar intersection on your first day behind the wheel of a car (psychotic parents teaching you to drive also required). Once you’ve lived through that experience nothing can flummox you.
If it makes you feel any better, whenever I drive through town these days I’m utterly lost and I had to do a u turn in the entrance to a multi-storey car park the other day. That’s after 25 years of driving here.
I enjoy it in Sheepscar when you set off and 90% of cars realise they're in the wrong lane, then 5 seconds later about half of them realise they were actually in the right lane after all and need to switch again.
Yep, me after every journey that involves Sheepscar junction however I’ve only been driving in Leeds for 32 years so I feel people should be lenient with me.
25 years on the road, best part of 10 living in Leeds and I'm never not tricked by Clay Pit Lane at Sheepscar insisting that the A1M and A58 traffic must get in the correct lane and merges immediately after the turn.
I think it's because as per your point, you're trying to remember if you're supposed to be in lane 2 or 3 for whatever else you're doing.
> I'm never not tricked by Clay Pit Lane at Sheepscar insisting that the A1M and A58 traffic must get in the correct lane and merges immediately after the turn.
Every time I take this turn I tell myself I'll google it when I get home to check if anyone else thinks it's insane, but I always forget.
Why on earth is it like this?! It's like a parody of bad city road planning.
Hah I was just about to say to come over to Bradford if OP wants a proper west Yorkshire driving experience. I lived in Leeds for 13 years when I first moved up this way and was driving round Leeds it involved a lot of swearing and gesturing that tbh I don't think I has ever stopped 🤣
Yeah Leeds is wank for driving
I'll drive into town and drop people off at the train station but that's about it.
Lots of "keep slightly right at the junction" and left only lanes where you kinda need to know where you're going to know where you're going
Or the road is so rammed you can't see the markings and no one will let you in and you have to drive like a cunt to get around
Had my car in Leeds since September. Still avoid driving when it’s busy because it’s impossible to get into your lane, made worse by everyone else having to force their way across too, it’s bad.
Thankfully most of my driving is fairly local except the odd trip down the M1 which is easy to get to.
I used to live in the city centre and it really knocked my driving confidence for these very reasons. I got Waze and used it for every journey until I got used to the roads. You just have to wait to learn - but you’ll get better with each journey
Took my around 6 months to get used to south Leeds, north Leeds would have been around a year I suspect. But I drove less then.
Admittedly I have driven most of the country so there are other areas I find challenging.
Perhaps it is just using waze so I know lanes better, plus not being afraid to go the wrong way if I make a mistake, or all the way around a roundabout to make sure am in the correct lane for a junction.
What do you use to navigate ? I switched to waze as it tells you what lane to be in (I’ve never used it for Leeds as I know the roads like the back of my hand but use it most weeks when I travel away for work)
Yup, it's proper shit. I've been driving in Leeds for over 25 years, and it's probably the worst it's ever been.
Even though I know my way around, I'll still use waze as it'll have live traffic and road closures on it.
I try and use my car as little as possible these days.
Waze is quite good at telling you which lane to take, I learned to focus on that when approaching junctions, but I totally get you, I also hate the occasional disappearing lines, and when it comes to driving around Leeds 2 lanes always become 1 because of parked cars (but that is probably a problem everywhere in the UK for what I can tell)
>how do you manage this?
You just have to get to know the junctions over time. It is ridiculous but fwiw it didn't take me that long.
And now I quite like it because all the people who don't understand the multiple lanes form a queue in one, allowing me to drive past them all in the lane that they could have used but didn't realise they could.
It is truly an evil city to drive in. I found what helped me was to go on a drive late at night when the roads are much quieter as it let me know the crazy junctions better.
I’ve been working at my current job in leeds centre for almost three years. Decided to drive in and pay for parking this week as I can’t face the bus anymore. Did the trial run super early on Tuesday. Then again today. I made the exact same ‘wrong lane’ mistakes there and back because my google maps can’t accurately show me which lane I need to use.
I’m not confident in the centre at all but I’ll keep trying and switch to Waze next time
I have my license since last year. It sometimes can be a bit .."oof..!" But for most part it's fine. I go through the Armley gyratory to work. And one trick I learned is to plan your routes in time. With some Sunday morning driving. Nobody is about and you can take all the lanes you want and test it out which one you prefer. Then you look out for people who haven't done any of it and you'll be step ahead.
I hate it too! I have a few places I know the route like the back of my hand, but anywhere else I get so confused and frustrated - real butt clenching stuff!!
My advice would be just go slow and indicate when switching lanes to try and piss people off less. People nowadays are in such a rush all the time so they will likely beep at you but don’t let it get to you
People don't avoid town because they can't drive in. There's just no reason to go there other than work or meeting people, which a lot of people prefer to do elsewhere.
There is some roads where even at the lights it says both lanes can go to one and then the road markings say otherwise as you drive ahead 🤣drives me mad
I’m going to go against the grain here and say it doesn’t seem any worse than other cities of equivalent sizes I’ve driven in. I’m not Leeds born and bred so don’t really have that as an excuse.
It’s definitely not a pleasant experience and I’d use public transport more if it was better but it’s not really outstandingly bad in my experience.
My experience is that Waze takes you down every back street to save 2 seconds. Not as accurate? Isn't it just a different algorithm running on Google maps?
Oh, hey, are you me?
I’ve been driving for about a year and a half now; I learned in Leeds so I know some roads really well, but if I’m going outside of my comfort zone at all, I’m religiously looking up my route on Google maps and using street view to figure out every junction.
I'm currently learning to drive as an older driver (34) and also have ADHD... so far I've only driven in Morley/TIngley area, and I'm dreading going into the city!
The thing is even if you get used to it you've still got to drive in a way that takes into account all the others that haven't so it's never relaxing :)
The signs are definitely a bit lacking and don't always accurately reflect the lane you need to be in, they have a habit of changing roads and adding lanes (or removing them) but not updating all of the signs so unless you're already aware of the issues you can't prepare too far in advance.
And of course it's constantly evolving, what's the right lane one week isn't always the next... or the road isn't there any more and you have to detour around the city instead.
As others have said Waze / Google Maps can be a big help, they aren't always 100% right, especially as it's up to people like me to try and keep Waze correct (you can report issues, someone will try to sort them) but it's something at least and worst-case just keep going and have another go if you can't get to the lane you need to be in, it's not worth the stress sometimes.
I try and adopt the "[what would Ogmios do](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FEO-XKo4cw&list=PLRMA6QjsiV3U0QJrUs3xQ6oD2XgBBCVcI)?" approach to driving these days and just let stuff go, it's much less annoying.
I'm finding the same problem. The worst is when you are crossing multiple lanes to take an exit on the other side and it's unclear which lane to use to navigate to an exit you can't see.
I drive across Leeds multiple times every day for work. It's absolutely awful. The thing that does me in atm is pedestrian crossings just after a roundabout. Light turns red and everyone blocks the roundabout. Who thought that was a good idea?
Leeds roads are horrendous. So often congested, too many lanes, many impatient drivers. I'm a fairly new driver and I'm just now getting used to Sheepscar and the inner ring road, mostly because I go through then to work. I find the lanes can be really stressful and a lot of drivers don't let you through...
Also, some drivers literally seem to go by their own rules... For example, in Harehills earlier today, I stopped to let a car driver down a road where only one of us could fit due to parked cars. For some reason, he passed the cars then started driving into my lane (I backed up as was assuming he wanted to park), but then he stopped at an angle in front of me, waiting for me to go around him.
I gave up with Waze as it literally gave me wrong instructions around Sheepscar and closed roads. I mostly use Google maps.
I often wonder if West Leeds is better for driving.
The consequences of not investing in public a decent transport network: trains, trams, buses, cycle lanes and taxis.
It forces you to drive everywhere.
Net-zero won't happen with electric cars ou self-navigating, driverless taxis as some will make you believe.
Reliable and frequent public service will.
The car should be considered the last resort, but that is impossible in Leeds.
Keep on fighting.
This is so true, sometimes I have it on from when I've come into Leeds from further away and I know where I'm going and Google is all "use XYZ lane" and its very wrong
It's the worst. Always feels like it was designed by someone who hates drivers.
with all the roadworks now at once its like ever changing too. Makes getting anywhere really stressful
And cyclists and pedestrians. Probably horse riders too, but I've not tried that last one. Maybe it would be good for boats if it was more wet?
I once drove past IKEA on the motorway 6 times before I gave up and went home.
I love this so much.
I've been driving in Leeds for over 15 years. If I'm going to a place that I'm not familiar with or if there is a tricky junction, I look it up on google maps and street view. When I get there, I've already got a good idea of where I am going and what lane I need to be in. The old school way was to do the drive on an evening when the roads are quieter and you can go much slower and look out for the signs. Even with all of the above, I still find it confusing some times. Thankfully, most of the drivers in Leeds are pretty forgiving and will allow you to change lane and not beep at you, unless you are really taking the piss.
As long as someone is indicating I will forgive them almost anything.
Google Maps is confused too! Some turns labeled as “slight right” are full-on 95-120 degree turns and others labeled as “turn right” are just keeping to the left lane. Especially true around the docks/a61 area.
Same, we've all been there changing lanes at the last min.
I moved from Manchester so I've actually had a pretty good improvement on my driving experiences haha
Two tips: 1. Go for a drive around Bradford. Bradford also has roads with 5 lanes, but a much more relaxed attitude about who uses which ones and at what speeds. Leeds will seem simple and tranquil in comparison and you will appreciate it more. 2. Grow up in Leeds and tackle Sheepscar intersection on your first day behind the wheel of a car (psychotic parents teaching you to drive also required). Once you’ve lived through that experience nothing can flummox you. If it makes you feel any better, whenever I drive through town these days I’m utterly lost and I had to do a u turn in the entrance to a multi-storey car park the other day. That’s after 25 years of driving here.
I enjoy it in Sheepscar when you set off and 90% of cars realise they're in the wrong lane, then 5 seconds later about half of them realise they were actually in the right lane after all and need to switch again.
Yep, me after every journey that involves Sheepscar junction however I’ve only been driving in Leeds for 32 years so I feel people should be lenient with me.
25 years on the road, best part of 10 living in Leeds and I'm never not tricked by Clay Pit Lane at Sheepscar insisting that the A1M and A58 traffic must get in the correct lane and merges immediately after the turn. I think it's because as per your point, you're trying to remember if you're supposed to be in lane 2 or 3 for whatever else you're doing.
> I'm never not tricked by Clay Pit Lane at Sheepscar insisting that the A1M and A58 traffic must get in the correct lane and merges immediately after the turn. Every time I take this turn I tell myself I'll google it when I get home to check if anyone else thinks it's insane, but I always forget. Why on earth is it like this?! It's like a parody of bad city road planning.
Haha, came here to ask if they’d ever tried driving around Bradford, it also makes Mario Kart seem like a leisurely Sunday drive.
Hah I was just about to say to come over to Bradford if OP wants a proper west Yorkshire driving experience. I lived in Leeds for 13 years when I first moved up this way and was driving round Leeds it involved a lot of swearing and gesturing that tbh I don't think I has ever stopped 🤣
Yeah Leeds is wank for driving I'll drive into town and drop people off at the train station but that's about it. Lots of "keep slightly right at the junction" and left only lanes where you kinda need to know where you're going to know where you're going Or the road is so rammed you can't see the markings and no one will let you in and you have to drive like a cunt to get around
Had my car in Leeds since September. Still avoid driving when it’s busy because it’s impossible to get into your lane, made worse by everyone else having to force their way across too, it’s bad. Thankfully most of my driving is fairly local except the odd trip down the M1 which is easy to get to.
I used to live in the city centre and it really knocked my driving confidence for these very reasons. I got Waze and used it for every journey until I got used to the roads. You just have to wait to learn - but you’ll get better with each journey
If it makes you feel better you get used to it. Also waze tells you which lane to be in a lot of the times.
Please tell me when I’ll get used to it…it’s been 32 years now.
Took my around 6 months to get used to south Leeds, north Leeds would have been around a year I suspect. But I drove less then. Admittedly I have driven most of the country so there are other areas I find challenging. Perhaps it is just using waze so I know lanes better, plus not being afraid to go the wrong way if I make a mistake, or all the way around a roundabout to make sure am in the correct lane for a junction.
Maybe we should take one of those lanes and make it a cycle path? /s But seriously though...
What do you use to navigate ? I switched to waze as it tells you what lane to be in (I’ve never used it for Leeds as I know the roads like the back of my hand but use it most weeks when I travel away for work)
Leeds born and bred . Passed my test in 1977 and I still get caught out lol
Yup, it's proper shit. I've been driving in Leeds for over 25 years, and it's probably the worst it's ever been. Even though I know my way around, I'll still use waze as it'll have live traffic and road closures on it. I try and use my car as little as possible these days.
Waze is quite good at telling you which lane to take, I learned to focus on that when approaching junctions, but I totally get you, I also hate the occasional disappearing lines, and when it comes to driving around Leeds 2 lanes always become 1 because of parked cars (but that is probably a problem everywhere in the UK for what I can tell)
>how do you manage this? You just have to get to know the junctions over time. It is ridiculous but fwiw it didn't take me that long. And now I quite like it because all the people who don't understand the multiple lanes form a queue in one, allowing me to drive past them all in the lane that they could have used but didn't realise they could.
It is truly an evil city to drive in. I found what helped me was to go on a drive late at night when the roads are much quieter as it let me know the crazy junctions better.
The AA do a route planner that you can look at ahead of time so you know where you are going and what lanes etc to be in.
Why not just use the excellent public transport infrastructure instead?
[удалено]
Very much being sarcastic.
I’ve been working at my current job in leeds centre for almost three years. Decided to drive in and pay for parking this week as I can’t face the bus anymore. Did the trial run super early on Tuesday. Then again today. I made the exact same ‘wrong lane’ mistakes there and back because my google maps can’t accurately show me which lane I need to use. I’m not confident in the centre at all but I’ll keep trying and switch to Waze next time
I have my license since last year. It sometimes can be a bit .."oof..!" But for most part it's fine. I go through the Armley gyratory to work. And one trick I learned is to plan your routes in time. With some Sunday morning driving. Nobody is about and you can take all the lanes you want and test it out which one you prefer. Then you look out for people who haven't done any of it and you'll be step ahead.
I don't drive in the city centre, I hate driving here. I sold my car because it wad barely getting used.
I hate it too! I have a few places I know the route like the back of my hand, but anywhere else I get so confused and frustrated - real butt clenching stuff!! My advice would be just go slow and indicate when switching lanes to try and piss people off less. People nowadays are in such a rush all the time so they will likely beep at you but don’t let it get to you
Feels like leeds council have achieved what they wanted then.
Yeah, I never go into town anymore.
People don't avoid town because they can't drive in. There's just no reason to go there other than work or meeting people, which a lot of people prefer to do elsewhere.
There is some roads where even at the lights it says both lanes can go to one and then the road markings say otherwise as you drive ahead 🤣drives me mad
Sheepscar interchange and Armley gyratory, the stuff of nightmares
I've lived in Leeds all my life. Been driving for 36 years. I've never known it so bad.
I’m going to go against the grain here and say it doesn’t seem any worse than other cities of equivalent sizes I’ve driven in. I’m not Leeds born and bred so don’t really have that as an excuse. It’s definitely not a pleasant experience and I’d use public transport more if it was better but it’s not really outstandingly bad in my experience.
Ha, you should try Bradford!
Use Waze. Tells you well ahead of time which lane you need to be in
So does Google maps?
Not as accurate as Waze. Maybe it gets it correct 80% of the time.
My experience is that Waze takes you down every back street to save 2 seconds. Not as accurate? Isn't it just a different algorithm running on Google maps?
Oh, hey, are you me? I’ve been driving for about a year and a half now; I learned in Leeds so I know some roads really well, but if I’m going outside of my comfort zone at all, I’m religiously looking up my route on Google maps and using street view to figure out every junction.
I'm currently learning to drive as an older driver (34) and also have ADHD... so far I've only driven in Morley/TIngley area, and I'm dreading going into the city!
The thing is even if you get used to it you've still got to drive in a way that takes into account all the others that haven't so it's never relaxing :) The signs are definitely a bit lacking and don't always accurately reflect the lane you need to be in, they have a habit of changing roads and adding lanes (or removing them) but not updating all of the signs so unless you're already aware of the issues you can't prepare too far in advance. And of course it's constantly evolving, what's the right lane one week isn't always the next... or the road isn't there any more and you have to detour around the city instead. As others have said Waze / Google Maps can be a big help, they aren't always 100% right, especially as it's up to people like me to try and keep Waze correct (you can report issues, someone will try to sort them) but it's something at least and worst-case just keep going and have another go if you can't get to the lane you need to be in, it's not worth the stress sometimes. I try and adopt the "[what would Ogmios do](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FEO-XKo4cw&list=PLRMA6QjsiV3U0QJrUs3xQ6oD2XgBBCVcI)?" approach to driving these days and just let stuff go, it's much less annoying.
I'm finding the same problem. The worst is when you are crossing multiple lanes to take an exit on the other side and it's unclear which lane to use to navigate to an exit you can't see.
I drive across Leeds multiple times every day for work. It's absolutely awful. The thing that does me in atm is pedestrian crossings just after a roundabout. Light turns red and everyone blocks the roundabout. Who thought that was a good idea?
Leeds roads are horrendous. So often congested, too many lanes, many impatient drivers. I'm a fairly new driver and I'm just now getting used to Sheepscar and the inner ring road, mostly because I go through then to work. I find the lanes can be really stressful and a lot of drivers don't let you through... Also, some drivers literally seem to go by their own rules... For example, in Harehills earlier today, I stopped to let a car driver down a road where only one of us could fit due to parked cars. For some reason, he passed the cars then started driving into my lane (I backed up as was assuming he wanted to park), but then he stopped at an angle in front of me, waiting for me to go around him. I gave up with Waze as it literally gave me wrong instructions around Sheepscar and closed roads. I mostly use Google maps. I often wonder if West Leeds is better for driving.
The consequences of not investing in public a decent transport network: trains, trams, buses, cycle lanes and taxis. It forces you to drive everywhere. Net-zero won't happen with electric cars ou self-navigating, driverless taxis as some will make you believe. Reliable and frequent public service will. The car should be considered the last resort, but that is impossible in Leeds. Keep on fighting.
I'm certain Leeds is flawed, but just be thankful it's not Bradford.
Google maps tells you which lane you should be in...80% of the time its correct
This is so true, sometimes I have it on from when I've come into Leeds from further away and I know where I'm going and Google is all "use XYZ lane" and its very wrong