Your opinion of Leicester...

[MikeyT]

Drab, Dull, Dump, with anything that has any historical interest being pulled down, piss poor sporting facilities.

I went and had a look inside Curve the other day and it's like being down the Walkers with painted breeze block walls and badly finished painted concrete floors - where the hell did the £61 million go.

Agree.

[vanfox12]

Marmite you either love or hate the place. Personally i think the layout of Leicester is it its biggest drawback unlike City's such as Sheffield and Nottingham which are hilly and seem well thought out while Leicester is flat because it is in a valley. In some respects Nottingham and Sheffield have better facilities but they still have s****y areas like anywhere else. In terms of transport i totally agree that transport needs improving but if we did have a tram system i wouldn't suggest using the Great Central Way as most of the route is in the middle of nowhere between Town and Fosse Park. A better route would be Narbrough Road but that would be quite expensive as it road would need widening and take years. In the mean time bus services need improving at the very least and and made cheaper.

As for the Highcross and Curve theatre what ever your opinion on the architectural merits of the two buildings it is important that these are successfull and like or not they are here so we might as well use them.

I am Leicestere born and bred and there is nothing i can do about that it is part of who i am as a person. There is plenty that is wrong with this City but there is just as much that is good about it if you look carefully enough. I don't expect everyone to like it and at least those who have left have been honest about why they left and unlike some who remain but moan about everything but do bugger all to make it better.

[maddog]

Leicester is a total shithole.

Dirty, ugly, nasty place. And i live there.

[Alexikokopops]

Marmite you either love or hate the place...

I think it's average.

[Scow]

Leicester is a total shithole.

Dirty, ugly, nasty place. And i live there.

You're the epitome of Leicester then?

[Lillehamring]

Marmite you either love or hate the place. Personally i think the layout of Leicester is it its biggest drawback unlike City's such as Sheffield and Nottingham which are hilly and seem well thought out while Leicester is flat because it is in a valley. In some respects Nottingham and Sheffield have better facilities but they still have s****y areas like anywhere else. In terms of transport i totally agree that transport needs improving but if we did have a tram system i wouldn't suggest using the Great Central Way as most of the route is in the middle of nowhere between Town and Fosse Park. A better route would be Narbrough Road but that would be quite expensive as it road would need widening and take years. In the mean time bus services need improving at the very least and and made cheaper.

it's funny that you say that, clearly living in leicester has made you believe that everything is difficult, prohibitively expensive and will take years...

here is a road near where i live, with a two way tram line, and also used by vehicles, it runs through an area very similar to braunstone gate...

and the following is a road right in the city centre, as you can see the road is a mess, but they are currently relaying all the tracks in that area. furthermore, during the laying of the tracks they are still running trams down that stretch of road every 5 minutes, and have managed to do so except for one week where they had replacement buses.

these things can be done, unfortunately the council will lead you to believe otherwise, simply because they don't want to do it, how come nottingham is getting 400 million improvements to there modern tram system, yet LCC can't even decide where to put a bus stop...

same with the ivanhoe line, they manipulate the figures to prove it can't be done, and everyone just shrugs and gets in their cars and sits in the worst traffic congestion in england...

as for marmite, i'd say me and leicester are very much love AND hate....

but anyone who thinks it can't be improved needs to get around a bit more....

[Guest]

everyone just shrugs and gets in their cars and sits in the worst traffic congestion in england...

This is the biggest problem in this country, and indeed this city. Public transport is shocking, and we end up with this cyclical argument over people not using it, and because people don't use it, it's not worth reducing costs and improving services because people don't use it. But the crux of the matter is people will not get out of their cars, and many don't even where they live in areas that actually have decent public transport. Cars are seen as a right, not a luxury or necessity.

[MC Prussian]

I know you cannot compare it on a country level because of the difference in size, but what is it that makes establishing a proper public transport system so damn hard in England? Over here in Switzerland, there's enough incentive to use either the train to commute to work or take the bus to go shopping instead of driving a car all alone for close to nothing, like small errands. There's regular S-trains during the day that reach most remaining cities and towns all around the country in good time. And the services operate well after midnight, for a small extra charge of five Swiss Francs.

Buses can take you to almost any spot in the country, even some really remote ones near the Alps. It's dashing.

The service is still very reliable, although there's been a few technical issues in the past five years due to the increased use and the lack of funds (keep in mind several billions Swiss Francs of public money were used to finance the construction of a new NEAT train tunnel through the Alps, connecting North-South).

Zurich, Basel or Bern all have their own tram. Lausanne just recently opened a new inner-city railway that connects the lower part of the city (the one close to Lake Geneva) with the upper one.

You can get a monthly pass for about £160 and it nets you unlimited use of ALL that is public transport - buses, trains, trams and even ferries and ships on the various lakes.

Buses in Leicester are inappropriate and pollution studios on four wheels (wrong or old models, when there are neat hybrid and environmental-friendly types available; and why still rely on doubledeckers when they're nothing short of cumbersome and harder to handle???), drivers are erratic to say the least, bus stops either too many along one road or badly signalled (one simple pole should do the trick?). St.Margaret's could also use an overhaul - but then again, there's still too many ugly remainders of the 50ies to 70ies concrete era - the parking lot next to St. Margaret's springs to mind.

I couldn't believe what I saw when I took a look at the train fares at the Leicester train station a couple of weeks ago - my gosh, is so expensive! No wonder hardly anyone wants to use it.

The train and bus system in England needs some heavy and healthy investment. And scrap the idea of privatizing public transportation - that's two steps backwards instead of making one forward. There is no real competition between the companies, at least not a visible one. They're all as bad as the other. It's called public, not private for a good reason. Lower ticket costs, come up with better and more reliable services, encourage people to use it.

On a city level, establishing a good bus or tram system is doable, but as other have already mentioned, when there is no intention or willingness, nothing will be done.

[Webbo]

Leicester's alright. It's not the best place on earth and it's not the worse either. It's about what you'd expect from a provincial city of it's size.

[Lillehamring]

Leicester's alright. It's not the best place on earth and it's not the worse either. It's about what you'd expect from a provincial city of it's size.

ah, and therein lies the problem, too many people in leicester, as i said earlier have been led to believe that the council has and is doing all it can...

i would EXPECT a city of leicester's size to make the most of it's roman, georgian and victorian history not bury it under carparks or bulldoze it just to save money.

there are so many empty locations the council and developers could bulldoze that no one would miss and that offer nothing to the character of leicester (the international hotel, the tower block next to st.mags, the old radio leicester building)

i wouldn't expect them to pull down the only decent building on the ugliest street in leicester - the ABC cinema could have been restrored for a fraction of the price of curve. and it held 2400 people

[Guest Mee-9]

Mediocre - Bores me with how diverse we are, arriva buses = fail.

Shopping aint too bad.

I live in the countryside, and not bang in the centre. So really my opinion is crap

[Smudge]

I’m not quite sure what historical advantages Leicester has. Until the arrival of the Canal and the railways, it must have been a sleepy Georgian market town with boundaries extending no more than half a mile from the junction of Highcross and High St.

After that, light industry in the form of the hosiery and footwear trade factories were quickly built with the attendant engineering support. Massive housing projects were developed from about 1870 onwards where thousands of cheap Victorian terraced houses were built everywhere. Leicester’s population tripled from the 1861 census to the one taken in 1901.

Obviously the new influx of workers could hardly be called educated or even skilled, as artisans might be. They came to work on stocking frames or make mass produced boots and shoes. Having spent many years studying my family history I can attest to the fact that these people were very much “working class”. They had the factory in the neighborhood, a shop or pub on most corners and probably used a non-conforming chapel on Sundays. The moneyed Industrialists lived in Stoneygate and that was Leicester.

Leicester has always been about commerce first and last; giving the predominant “working class” population what it needed; football, picture houses, pubs, dance halls. By the late fifties I don’t think there was one active theater in Leicester.

In my opinion the architecture of Leicester has always been designed around it’s socio-economic demands.

Could I live in Leicester again? Not a chance, but the County? Absolutely

[Smudge]

.these things can be done, unfortunately the council will lead you to believe otherwise, simply because they don't want to do it, how come nottingham is getting 400 million improvements to there modern tram system, yet LCC can't even decide where to put a bus stop....

I wonder what the makeup of your city council is. Are they people who are conservative, have their families lived there for generations and have a vested interest in maintaining standards. What is their main agenda?

It seems to me that Leicester, has for the last 40 years, been a place managed by liberals who care not for the infrastructure. The quid quo pro for a Leicester Councillor does't seem to be about maintaining Leicester's heritage, as little as that is. It's more about staying in office for the majority of the population who obviously don't give a crap.

[Narborough Bod]

Mediocre - Bores me with how diverse we are, arriva buses = fail.

Shopping aint too bad.

I live in the countryside, and not bang in the centre. So really my opinion is crap

pretty much agree

Leicester - crappy city having any character obliterated by one interim development after another.

Leicestershire - beautiful, but beware the devil city encroaching on Fosse park and beyond...

[Joe.]

I don't think public transport in Leicester is particularly poor, it's more of a national thing. For example Arriva charge you somewhere in the region of around £3.50 for a day ticket (and that's minimum price), which therefore makes it both easier and probably just as expensive to drive into town. There needs to be far greater incentives available for people to use public transport more.

Don't even start on the trains...

[sdb]

Mediocre - Bores me with how diverse we are, arriva buses = fail.

Shopping aint too bad.

I live in the countryside, and not bang in the centre. So really my opinion is crap

bored with diversity? isn't that a contradiction in terms?!

personally i quite like the place but is has the potential to be much better. it's just another city with very little that's more exciting than anywhere else

[Guest]

I’m not quite sure what historical advantages Leicester has. Until the arrival of the Canal and the railways, it must have been a sleepy Georgian market town with boundaries extending no more than half a mile from the junction of Highcross and High St.

Disagree with you there. Our city's history goes back much further, and being such an older town, much of it was built around the existing buildings and streets, which is why it is so cramped, and has much smaller streets than newer cities like Newcastle and Nottingham. You only have to look at the architecture to see that. Both Nottingham and Newcastle have much wider streets and public areas, and the Georgian architecture is rife. Leicester lacks the space to have a large public square, and much of our heritage has been bulldozed for modern carbunkles such as the Haymarket, and DMU. Don't get my dad started on the Haymarket, he is still angry 40 years later!!

[vanfox12]

To a previous comment about not thinking that it would be possible to make Leicester better. I do actually think it could be possible but my problem is that the wrong people seem to be in charge of making the changes to this city. The Curve is not everyones cup of tea but i have actually visited it and watched a play there which i enjoyed. The main problem with a building like this and many other projects seems to be the cost and if we are to have a proper transport infrastructure and more imaginative and attractive developments then we need people who have the right skills and actually know what they are doing. As for making the City more attractive, for example i believe the Market place needs to be improved both in terms of the market itself and the area around it plus the Corn Exchange needs to be better presented as the Centre piece of the market as it is clearly a beautiful building which is wasted on a city like Leicester.

[Zingari]

Disagree with you there. Our city's history goes back much further, and being such an older town, much of it was built around the existing buildings and streets, which is why it is so cramped, and has much smaller streets than newer cities like Newcastle and Nottingham. You only have to look at the architecture to see that. Both Nottingham and Newcastle have much wider streets and public areas, and the Georgian architecture is rife. Leicester lacks the space to have a large public square, and much of our heritage has been bulldozed for modern carbunkles such as the Haymarket, and DMU. Don't get my dad started on the Haymarket, he is still angry 40 years later!!

sorry but i'm going to have to agree with you again ,

we have a great roman history and i think the jewry is the second largest piece of surviving civil Roman building in Britain (the largest being the 'great work' at Wroxeter

about the lack of city centre space, (and controversial maybe,) but i think we should move the anachronistic outdoor market and open up the market place area as a plaza style centre piece .

[Lillehamring]

sorry but i'm going to have to agree with you again ,

we have a great roman history and i think the jewry is the second largest piece of surviving civil Roman building in Britain (the largest being the 'great work' at Wroxeter

about the lack of city centre space, (and controversial maybe,) but i think we should move the anachronistic outdoor market and open up the market place area as a plaza style centre piece .

absolutely right, as charming as the market may be to some, it is still very much a niche shopping option consuming the most valuable (in terms of space and function) piece of real estate in leicester...

and as far as the 'history' argument goes, i don't believe leicester market has always been on that site...

unfortunately, as with ever major development, the market will stay where it is because the council have no other, or will not fund any other location...

[Lillehamring]

I wonder what the makeup of your city council is. Are they people who are conservative, have their families lived there for generations and have a vested interest in maintaining standards. What is their main agenda?

It seems to me that Leicester, has for the last 40 years, been a place managed by liberals who care not for the infrastructure. The quid quo pro for a Leicester Councillor does't seem to be about maintaining Leicester's heritage, as little as that is. It's more about staying in office for the majority of the population who obviously don't give a crap.

i'll be honest and say that i have no idea.

the transport is managed thus:

the top of the chain being oslo city council and akershus county council

with Ruter being a management company:

Ruter replaces Oslo Sporveier and Greater Oslo as Local and is a pure management company, with approximately 90 employees. Det tidligere sporveis-konsernets operative funksjoner videreføres av det kommunalt eide Kollektivtransportproduksjon AS. The former tram Group's operational functions will be continued by the municipal Kollektivtransportproduksjon AS.

Traffic The operation performed by separate operating companies for a contract with Ruter.

For bus operation has been introduced a tendering system for the allocation of running contracts.

so it is actually very similar to leicester, except that in leicester there is nothing between the private operating companies and the city and county councils, whereas here there is a fairly substantial team that coordinates everything---

simple and effective.

as far as general policy, development and heritage, there have been some beautiful buildinpreservation and restoration, realising how important it is. of course, oslo is a much much bigger tourist draw than leicester, so it stands to reason. i think what is more important is the quality of replacements here, modern architecture in norway is decades ahead of the stuff being built in leicester.

and also, things like when they built the new opera, they redeveloped the old one as the folkteater (people's theatre) rather than just closing it down or demolishing it and some part of the government has just paid for all the city centre churces to be massively restored

[Smudge]

Disagree with you there. Our city's history goes back much further, and being such an older town, much of it was built around the existing buildings and streets, which is why it is so cramped, and has much smaller streets than newer cities like Newcastle and Nottingham. You only have to look at the architecture to see that. Both Nottingham and Newcastle have much wider streets and public areas, and the Georgian architecture is rife. Leicester lacks the space to have a large public square, and much of our heritage has been bulldozed for modern carbunkles such as the Haymarket, and DMU. Don't get my dad started on the Haymarket, he is still angry 40 years later!!

The point I was making was Leicester was little more than a market town until the railways came. Before that there was no industry in the City. The Georgians would have had no reason to celebrate nor afford such extravagances as broad avenues with beautiful buildings. However, when wealth did arrive, they built houses, factories and transportation needs for the masses. The days of the boulevard had long gone and Victorian buildings were ornate, fussy and functional as evidenced by the Midland Station. I think there would have been loads of space if they had the vision, London Rd would have made a great broad street if they had wanted it to be. Take away the houses in Highfields and imagine what that neighborhood could have been? I'm always amazed at the view from the top of London Rd looking across the City to Bradgate park in the distance, what a beautiful place Leicester might have been if it had had the foresight.

I'm with your Dad on what has happened since the 60's it's a crime and as for the area around the Roman Jewery wall is an absolute disgrace.

As a kid I used to love to go to Abbey Park it was truly a wonderful place of flower beds ornate trees and water, I went back there a couple of years ago and was horrified to see what has happened to the place.

[Tommeh]

Living in Sheffield it does highlight some of Leicesters faults yes but nothing like some in here have said.

As for the city centre Sheff has nothing on Leicester shop wise, we rely so much on Meadowhall for everything but it is a 20 tram/10 minute train journey and I actually think the new Highcross is very impressive.

Still my home and I'm really looking forward to returning for the Derby game next weekend.

[Muz]

Living in Sheffield it does highlight some of Leicesters faults yes but nothing like some in here have said.

As for the city centre Sheff has nothing on Leicester shop wise, we rely so much on Meadowhall for everything but it is a 20 tram/10 minute train journey and I actually think the new Highcross is very impressive.

Still my home and I'm really looking forward to returning for the Derby game next weekend.

WE??? Converted northerner. Chafe

[Tommeh]

WE??? Converted northerner. Chafe

Ahaha nearly.

Need to see you put in a filthy Embrace shift soon.