Leicester & Leicestershire Traffic & Roads

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/multiple-road-closures-leicester-council-7046500

 

Multiple road closures in Leicester as council creates 'major new cycle lane'
The closures begin this weekend

ByHannah RichardsonLocal Democracy Reporter
04:00, 7 MAY 2022
NEWS

 

A series of road closures will start in Leicester this weekend as work begins on a new, 2.5km cycle route. Leicester City Council is investing £1.8 million in the route in Blackbird Road, Parker Drive and Beaumont Leys Lane, to encourage more people to walk and travel by bicycle.

Leicester City Council said the work, taking place in the north west of the city, would begin tomorrow in Parker Drive. It will require a partial closure of the junction with Somerset Avenue for six weeks.

The work at this section will see a 2.5m to 3m-wide off-the-road cycle track created along the full stretch of the road, and the splinter junction at Somerset Avenue (pictured) remodelled into a narrow T-junction. The council said the change would "provide a safer and more direct crossing for pedestrians and cyclists".

 

 

The junction itself will be fully closed for two weeks from Sunday, June 19. There will also be closures at the junctions of Parker Drive with Norwich Road, Babingley Drive and Galleywood Drive for two weeks each through the summer while roads are raised and crossings created. The council has said diversions will be signposted.

This first part of the work is expected to be completed by the end of September. The council will then work on the Blackbird Road and Beaumont Leys Lane part of the scheme to create a continuous pedestrian and cycle route connected through all three roads.

Deputy city mayor Councillor Adam Clarke, who leads on transport and environment, said: “We know that many more journeys in Leicester will be walked or cycled if we continue to provide the safe and pleasant means of doing so from the city centre to neighbourhoods, and this is evidenced in our recent Local Transport Plan.

“These latest plans are just one part of an ambitious citywide programme that is now extending the multi-million-pound investment we have made in improving routes in and around the city centre, out into the Leicester’s busy neighbourhoods. By making roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists, we can help encourage more people to leave the car at home and choose cleaner, greener and cheaper ways of getting about in the city.”

Last year, the council carried out work along Anstey Lane, creating a new bus lane from Avebury Avenue to Blackbird Road, and a "safer cycle route" on a longer stretch of road between Buckminster Road and Darenth Drive. The latest scheme will be paid for through the Transforming Cities Fund, a major, £80million citywide programme of investment in sustainable transport, backed by £50million of government cash from the Department for Transport.

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/braunstone-gate-shut-drivers-work-7018073

 

Braunstone Gate to shut to drivers as work on mini-Holland scheme begins
Access restrictions will start in June

ByHannah RichardsonLocal Democracy Reporter
05:00, 2 MAY 2022

Travel through Braunstone Gate will be closed to most vehicle in the next couple of months. Leicester City Council will begin work on its ‘mini-Holland’ scheme on Monday, May 9.

The work will lead to the road being closed to most drivers from early June as it is temporarily reduced to one lane. Buses and taxis, cyclists and access traffic, including residents, will still be able to use the road when travelling from Western Boulevard to Narborough Road, but all other road users will need to find another route.

From early autumn, the road will be closed. Leicester City Council has said diversion routes will be signposted and on-site traffic marshals will be available to assist with deliveries throughout the works. Access will be maintained for residents.

 

The work is intended to create a more people-friendly place. It will give more priority to cycles and pedestrians by limiting vehicle access, closing the road to unnecessary traffic at busy times and creating wider pavement areas for visitors to the shops, cafes and bars in the area.

Wider footpaths will be created, a section of the street repaved and the road resurfaced. New trees will also be planted as part of the scheme.

Access to Braunstone Gate from Duns Lane and New Park Street will be restricted to buses, taxis and cycles only, and the left turn from Western Boulevard will also be closed to traffic, expect cycles. Most on-street parking on Braunstone Gate will also be removed.

The loss of parking spaces caused concern among local businesses who fear it will drive away customers. Philippa Kerrod, co-owner of hairdressers Salon 57, told LeicestershireLive when the plans were first announced that a lot of their female clients had already expressed worries about having to park further away since the scheme was introduced as a experimental measure in 2020.

She said: “They have to walk further to find pay and display parking that’s not always available. It also means they’re walking alone at night, which a lot of them don’t like, especially the women on their own – they feel quite vulnerable at the moment.”

However, following consultation with the street’s businesses and residents, the council will be maintaining the disabled parking bays and creating new pay-and-display spaces on Bede Street and Western Road.

Deputy city mayor and Westcotes ward councillor Sarah Russell said: “Braunstone Gate is home to a vibrant and popular mix of cafes, bars, restaurants and shops and other independent small businesses. It is also a really busy and important route between De Montfort University and the West End.

“This much needed investment represents a huge opportunity for the area. It will help to make it an even more attractive destination, not just for the local community but for the whole city.”

Deputy city mayor for environment and transportation, Adam Clarke, added the work will help the council meet its climate change targets. He said: “It is vital that we continue to provide healthier, greener streets to accommodate future growth of the city and its economy, all of which supports our commitments to address the climate emergency and to reduce air pollution. We need to be radical and ambitious to meet these challenges.”

The work is expected to cost around £1.5 million and should be completed in Spring next year. The money will come from the council’s Transforming Cities Fund, a major £80 million citywide programme of investment in sustainable transport, backed by £40 million of Government cash from the Department for Transport.

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/pollution-led-470-deaths-leicestershire-7047335

 

Pollution led to 470 deaths in Leicestershire in a year - how dirty is the air where you live?
City and county councils say they are doing all they can to tackle the issue

ByClaire MillerLee Garrett
04:00, 7 MAY 2022

Pollution led to 470 deaths in Leicestershire in a year

Pollution led to nearly 500 deaths in Leicestershire in a year, new figures suggest. The Central Office of Public Interest (Copi) and Imperial College London have put together the most interactive map to date showing how dirty the air is in every street in the city and county, and across the country.

The data focuses on pollutants PM2.5 and the courser PM10, both of which are small particles that can be inhaled and cause lung problems, and in the case of PM2.5 cause cancer. The map also shows the level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which can increase the risk of disease-related mortality. Enter your postcode to find out the rating for the air around your home and workplace.

The data shows nearly every home in the UK is subjected to air pollution above World Health Organisation guidelines. In response, Leicester City and Leicestershire County Councils have outlined some of the steps being taken locally to reduce emissions and other pollution.

 

The research is based on figures from Public Health England (PHE), which estimates the number of deaths each year that may be attributable to PM2.5, which is also known as fine dust. The figures suggest it may have contributed to one in 17 deaths of people over 30 (5.8 per cent) in Leicester in 2019, and one in 19 deaths (5.3 per cent in Leicestershire in the same period. Across the area, that is the equivalent of around 470 deaths in 2019, the most recent figures available.

The World Health Organisation sets a guideline limit of 10 ug/m3, the amount of particles by cubic metre of air, for annual levels of PM2.5. The UK, excluding Scotland, has a target limit of 25 µg/m3 to be achieved by next year.
Each increase by 10 ug/m3 in levels of PM2.5 is assumed to increase death rates by 6 per cent.

Both Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council told LeicestershireLive that they had limited control over emissions of PM2.5 as individual district and borough councils oversaw those efforts. However, they said work across the board was ongoing.

A spokesman for Leicester City Council said the level of PM2.5 in the city was not on the whole generated in the city. “Local authorities like us have very little control over the emission of PM2.5 because it comes largely from agriculture and industry," he said. "Only a small amount is generated locally, with most of this from domestic fossil fuel burning and a smaller contribution from road traffic through tyre wear and brake dust."

He said Leicester was also affected by pollution coming from thousands of miles away. "Saharan dust is a contributor, as are the coal fired power stations of eastern Europe. In Leicester, the biggest contributor to PM2.5 figures is agriculture from around the region, which is why Leicester and Leicestershire have similar levels. In other areas it’s industry.”

“The Government is running a consultation now [open until May 11] on introducing a new target PM2.5 level of 10ug/m3 by 2040. We think they should be aiming to reduce it to 5ug/m3 by this time, but in the interim we think they should aim for a reduction to 10ug/m3 by 2030,” added the spokesman.

He said the city council was already doing much to help reduce emissions and pollution being generated in Leicester. “One cause we can help to reduce is outdoor fires and the use of log burners, which is why we redesignated Leicester as a Smoke Control Zone some years ago,” he said. “The extensive work we’re doing to promote walking, cycling, and public transport as an alternative to the car will also help.”

Councillor Louise Richardson is the county council’s lead member for health. She said: “We’re aware of the figures and we’ve made it clear in previous years that air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK. This is also not just about roads and transport.

“There’s a crucial role for district councils as the responsibility for air quality and air quality management areas rests with them.”

The county council said it had a number of plans in place to help make it a net zero carbon county by 2045. Its plans aimed at reducing carbon emissions and also contribute to improving air quality and include:

Reducing carbon emissions generated by transport

Enabling sustainable travel through new infrastructure and information on transport choices

Supporting sustainable land management and food production to avoid emissions from agriculture and soil erosion

Enhancing roadside verges and tree planting to address air pollution and limit impacts on residents

Supporting the roll out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure to reduce tail pipe emissions

“Sources of air pollution are far wider - agricultural, mining operations, domestic solid fuel fires and occur both indoor and outdoor - so there remains a need for us to work across multiple sectors,” added Coun Richardson. “There are also inequalities when it comes to health and life expectancy, with some groups more vulnerable to harm such as children, older people and those with existing health conditions. Currently, there is no clear evidence of a safe level of exposure, so any reduction is likely to lead to health benefits for our population.”

To see what levels of PM2.5 are like on your street, click here.

[Bellend Sebastian]

Just the 470 deaths from air pollution?

 

We're doing GREAT

[SecretPro]

Pretty sure I read somewhere a while back that some of our inner city roads have the worst pollution levels in the UK. 

[Bellend Sebastian]

2 minutes ago, SecretPro said:

Pretty sure I read somewhere a while back that some of our inner city roads have the worst pollution levels in the UK. 

I seem to remember that Vaughan Way is particularly bad because it's busy all day and has a lot of tall buildings that trap the dirty air. I wouldn't rush to live in an apartment along there, certainly

[Raj]

Soulsby  is a c0ck.

 

[PAULCFC]

Not sure making roads narrower is going to solve the pollution levels and good luck riding a bike up Parker Drive hill.

[Parafox]

6 hours ago, SecretPro said:

Pretty sure I read somewhere a while back that some of our inner city roads have the worst pollution levels in the UK. 

 

17 minutes ago, PAULCFC said:

Not sure making roads narrower is going to solve the pollution levels and good luck riding a bike up Parker Drive hill.

I think there's research somewhere that concludes that slowing traffic by narrowing roads thereby causing congestion, results in increased pollution as cars sit idling or travelling slowly

[PAULCFC]

16 minutes ago, Parafox said:

 

I think there's research somewhere that concludes that slowing traffic by narrowing roads thereby causing congestion, results in increased pollution as cars sit idling or travelling slowly

yes that's what i meant....there is no way that people ditch their cars and it doesnt matter how much Soulsby spends millions on bike lanes.

[PAULCFC]

Seems to me a vanity project from Soulsby to tick boxes from the relevent people to get more money to waste.

[Parafox]

9 minutes ago, PAULCFC said:

yes that's what i meant....there is no way that people ditch their cars and it doesnt matter how much Soulsby spends millions on bike lanes.

Apart from those that already use a bike to get to work, for example (which is fine if you live reasonably close to your workplace), I think some will occasionally walk to somewhere local but as you say, no way will there be a mass migration to bikes. It seems the LCC want to make using cars entirely inconvenient and as difficult as possible in order to "force" people to change the way they get from A to B within the inner city. 

Pipe dream, IMO.

[davieG]

I might have to get a bus to the match tomorrow and just did some research. Normally I can get one that takes about ten minutes to Sawday Street tomorrow the only offering is one that takes 45 minutes as it does a tour of all the Wigston areas.

 

To get back I have to take 30min walk and then wait for 45mins

 

 

Evening matches are worse as the last one back that does not do the 45m tour is at 7ish.

 

Im way too old and knackered to start biking it even though I reckon I’m fairly fit for my age.

 

 

Its all cloud cuckoo land stuff.

 

 

[PAULCFC]

The new bike lane down Groby Road is an example.....not seen a bike going down there and if you go the other way towards Glenfield good luck as its a bit of a hill.

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/trial-closures-evington-streets-stop-7051508

 

Four streets in Leicester's Evington ward are undergoing trial closures that could become permanent. Gamel Road, Greystone Avenue, Davenport Road and Newhaven Road are subject to new rules from today in an attempt to stop rat-running.

The closures will not prevent access to any homes or businesses, but will mean the streets cannot be used as short-cuts. Leicester City Council's aim with the changes is to reduce speeds and congestion.

The measures - all of which are experimental - will involve both barriers at strategic points to stop through-traffic and others will have new one-way systems. In addition, bollards and fences will be installed in three other streets in the neighbourhood with the aim of stopping "inappropriate" parking.

 

The trial follows consultation with local residents and schools on ways to reduce congestion, tackle problem parking and limit traffic speeds in the area.

From Sunday, May 8:

Gamel Road will be made one-way from Davenport Road to Skampton Road, to help reduce congestion.
Greystone Avenue will be closed to traffic entering from Uppingham Road. Motorists will still be able to exit Greystone Avenue on to Uppingham Road. This should reduce rat-running while still allowing residents access to Uppingham Road.
Davenport Road will be closed between its junctions with Oakside Crescent and Beechwood Close. This will mean the need for a secondary closure from the eastern end of Oakside Crescent on to Davenport Road. This should reduce the speed of traffic and rat-running along the length of Davenport Road.
The existing Newhaven Road closure will be moved to just south of its junction with Chatteris Avenue. This will reduce the speed of traffic and rat-running along the length of Newhaven Road.
Low fencing and bollards will be installed along stretches of Whitehall Road, Chatteris Road and Downing Drive to prevent parking on grass verges.

[Fazzer 7]

In todays world if you drive an ic engine car you're fast becoming public enermy number one. Everything it seems is tilting against us.

[davieG]

Problems on the M1 north of Leicester

 

 "One lane closed and slow traffic due to accident on M1 Northbound from J21A A46 (Leicester North / Kirby Muxloe) to J22 A50 (Coalville).

•  
• Updates here - https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/live-updates-incident-shuts-m1-7053633