WATCH: Viral 1995 footage of a drive around Leeds ‘without cycle lanes, traffic cameras or the loop’

A video producer has gone viral on social media after posting nostalgic footage of a drive around Leeds city centre in 1995 - ‘without cycle lanes, traffic cameras or the loop’.

On an early mid-February morning in 1995, Dave Redmond attached his camera to his car dashboard and took a journey around the streets of Leeds.

At the time, Dave was the producer for a video production about “advanced driving” and was tasked with gathering footage of the city on a quiet morning.

Dave spent months driving around with the video camera mounted, looking for incidents of good and bad driving.

The eight-minute video shows some significant moments that highlight the time it was filmed - including a Valentine fayre that used to be held in the city centre.

Dave told the Yorkshire Post the video shows a time of being able to travel through the city “unhindered”.

He said: “There weren't many restrictions 29 years ago.

“Certainly there were bus lanes - but even the one on Park Row was only for peak times.

“There were no cycle lanes, no traffic cameras and 'The Loop' was yet to be thought of.”

This sentiment was shared with thousands of viewers as Dave - now the owner of a video restoration company - restored the footage and uploaded it on social media.

Since then, the video has garnered tens of thousands of views, hundreds of shares, thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.

Many people have commented about empty streets, the conditions of them and the recent restrictions for drivers in Leeds.

One person commented: “Not much seems to have changed except being able to drive around the city freely. Plus it’s nice to see the city before all the skyscraper apartments were built.”

Another said: “This looks a million times better than it is now. Looks safe and slow. If people used designated crossings then there wouldn't be any problems.”

Dave added: “Most people are saying the city was a better place for having very few restrictions.

“I have to agree with them - in my view Leeds City Council have ruined the centre of Leeds with way too many closures and restrictions.

“But if you listen to the audio you will hear my poor car thumping and banging its way along as it encounters numerous road defects.

“The road conditions were no better all those years ago.”