Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has approved plans for a £205,000 project that is set to improve bus and cycle routes across Leicester. The plans were unveiled by the city council, and include short-term developments that will be carried out over the upcoming weeks.
The council has listened to complaints from the public about the state of road surfaces, as people have felt uncomfortable travelling by bus and bicycle on the uneven and damaged roads. These repairs will make the roads safer, and hopefully encourage more people to use alternative transport, which will benefit the environment. Whilst some of the improvements are part of ongoing schemes, others are in place to repair roads that have been affected by weathering and general wear and tear.
Sir Peter Soulsby said: “We want to make it easy and comfortable for people to use buses and cycle routes in the city, and these relatively small projects can really help ensure these routes are at their best.
“Some are areas where older surfaces have become damaged by traffic and weather over the decades, and these minor improvements can make a big difference to people using these routes as part of their daily travel.”
The series of highway projects is an integral aspect of the city’s economic strategies for the future and it will involve fixing a number of road surfaces, specifically where there are cycle lanes, pedestrian routes and bus routes.
Work will include:
• Bus route surfacing work in Mansfield Street, which has already been carried out as part of the Haymarket Bus Station scheme.
• Improvements to pedestrian safety and accessibility at Market Place South, as part of the wider market redevelopments.
• Surface repairs to improve ride quality in bus lanes and cycle lanes at Charles Street, Halford Street and Rutland Street.
•Similar works on bus and cycle route surfaces in Belvoir Street, Welford Place and Welford Road.
• Junction improvements, better pedestrian crossing facilities and associated bus and cycle route works at the Charles Street/St Georges Way junction.
Depending on the amount of funding left over, there may also be work done on cycleway and bus lane surfaces on parts of Aylestone Road between Lansdowne Road and Grace Road.
