Part of Walnut Street junction in Leicester could shut to traffic and it's been called 'ridiculous'

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/part-walnut-street-junction-leicester-5542577

 

 

The city council is looking at the idea as part of a wider £1.5 million remodelling

ByDan MartinAgenda Editor
04:00, 18 JUN 2021UPDATED19:12, 18 JUN 2021

The left turn into Walnut Street Could be closed to motorists (Image: Leicester Mercury / Chris Gordon)

Proposals to close an arm of a major Leicester city centre junction have been dubbed ‘ridiculous’.

Transport officials have suggested stopping motorists heading north on Aylestone Road from turning left into Walnut Street.

The idea is part of wider plans for a £1.5 million remodelling of the section of Aylestone Road from Putney Road to Granby Halls, where Leicester Tigers are currently building their new £22 million hotel.

 

The city council says it wants the area to be better for cyclists, pedestrians and bus passengers by widening existing cycle lanes to make segregated space for riders by making pop-up Covid lanes permanent.

City council transport director Stuart Maxwell outlined the scheme to councillors at a meeting of the Economic Development, Transport and Climate Emergency Scrutiny Commission this week.

He told them: “We are going to have a look and see what the consequences would be if the left hand turn into Walnut Street was closed.

“It’s in its infancy but it would offer up some opportunities.”

Walnut Street, which runs next to the Leicester Royal Infirmary, is one of five streets in the city with a bridge over the River Soar.

Councillor Kulwinder Singh Johal, who represents Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields, said: “Over the years what we have seen is the closure from this side of town to Narborough Road through the DMU which has become pedestrianised.

“We have also lost Jarram Street, the street I grew up on, and the suggestion we are going to close Walnut Street from this side defies belief.”

He said the closure would be 'ridiculous' for people in his ward and the neighbouring Westcotes area, adding: “You talk about Connecting Leicester but what you are actually doing is disconnecting Braunstone Park, Rowley Fields and Westcotes.”

He said he was concerned closing access to Walnut Street would be a precursor to pressing ahead with a controversial link road across the north end of Aylestone Meadows from Evesham Road to Boundary Road.

Deputy city mayor Adam Clarke said there were no proposals for the Evesham Road link road.

He added: “We have all got in the mindset of moving about the city in a car and we need to think about designing communities for people not for cars.

“We need to make sure that places are designed for the betterment of people in our city, for children, for families, for the 40 per cent or people who don’t have access to a car in our city.”

Coun Johal said: “This is nothing about taking cars off the road. This is about a progressive thing.

“There are five (river) crossings onto that side and we have lost three of them, with this one, in recent years.”

 

Coun Clarke told Coun Johal he was not at the meeting to represent his ward adding: “We are not looking at closing access to the river crossings.

“There is a proposal to close the left turn into Walnut Street and that is being looked at in terms of traffic modeling and in terms of the benefits it could bring to allow greater access to the road network from other junctions.

“One thing I would say is that it does not close a link to the river.

“It would make that road much safer for people crossing it coming out of the hospital.

“There are benefits we need to consider and weigh them up against where there might be disbenefits.”

He said councillors would be consulted on the idea.

The council has said if the left turn were stopped up there would still be an alternative route along Raw Dykes Road, past the King Power Stadium.

It plans to further consult with members of the public next month on the wider Aylestone Road scheme with the potential to start work in late summer next year.

[foxile5]

Leicester is one of the worst cities to drive in and around, in my opinion. 

 

It's so congested and snarled up. We really need a tram system.

[Corky]

I cross there to go towards the train station after games and the left turn is definitely an issue when you've hot hundreds of people walking the same route. I could understand it for matchdays but don't see a huge problem the rest of the fortnight there's no match.

[UniFox21]

2 minutes ago, foxile5 said:

Leicester is one of the worst cities to drive in and around, in my opinion. 

 

It's so congested and snarled up. We really need a tram system.

Leicester isn't great, but Coventry is so much worse. The ring road is an absolute nightmare

[foxile5]

1 minute ago, UniFox21 said:

Leicester isn't great, but Coventry is so much worse. The ring road is an absolute nightmare

I avoid Coventry at all costs but I can well believe their road network is shit. Most everything about the place is shit. 

[KrefelderFox666]

49 minutes ago, foxile5 said:

I avoid Coventry at all costs but I can well believe their road network is shit. Most everything about the place is shit. 

IKEA closing eliminated the last reason to travel to Cov.

[foxile5]

20 minutes ago, KrefelderFox666 said:

IKEA closing eliminated the last reason to travel to Cov.

Other than to goad the locals. 

[davieG]

2 hours ago, foxile5 said:

Leicester is one of the worst cities to drive in and around, in my opinion. 

 

It's so congested and snarled up. We really need a tram system.

A tram system would only resolve one through route and as Leicester has so many routes into the centre I'm not convinced it would help that much especially considering how much it would cost..

 

The Ivanhoe Line to Burton would provide similar benefits at a much lower cost. Also re-opening stations like Blaby, Kibworth, Humberstone Rd and Thurmaston on existing lines would also help.

[Corky]

1 hour ago, KrefelderFox666 said:

IKEA closing eliminated the last reason to travel to Cov.

Lady Godiva putting her clothes on had the biggest impact.

 

Since then, nothing.