THREE schemes to introduce new traffic calming measures or 20mph speed restrictions in residential streets are due to be installed this month.
Work will be carried out on a traffic-calming scheme at Brading Road and Medina Road off Groby Road, and two 20mph zones at Clarendon Park, and in the streets around King Richard III School in the west of the city.
The projects, which include a range of different speed-reduction measures, were approved following consultations with local residents, but installation was delayed until now due to the coronavirus lockdown.
Work begins on Monday, August 10, in the streets around King Richard III Infant and Nursery School in Westcotes, to improve the existing road crossing outside the school by constructing a speed hump and widening the footway. Signs will be installed on August 24 with the scheme up and running by the start of September to tie in with the new school term.
That scheme includes Cherryleas Drive and Linkway Gardens, off Fosse Road South; Stretton Road, Daneshill Road and Arundel Street, off Fosse Road Central; along with Norfolk Street, Catesby Street, Musgrove Close, Andrewes Close, Andrewes Street, Coventry Street, West Holme Street, Dane Street and Fitzroy Street.
From August 17, signs will be installed for a 20mph zone covering more than a dozen streets in Leicester’s Clarendon Park suburb. The scheme will cover the majority of Clarendon Park and links up with existing 20mph schemes which are in place around Welford Road, Avenue Infants School and several residential streets to the west of London Road.
It will cover the length of Howard Road, Lorne Road, Adderley Road, Hartopp Road, Lytton Road, St Leonard’s Road, Cradock Road, Oxford Road and Edward Road, as well as Montague Road, Seymour Road, Bulwer Road and the remaining sections of Clarendon Park Road not already covered by the existing schemes.
Also included in the 20mph zone will be Thurlow Road, Fleetwood Road, Leopold Road and Lytham Road.
Work is also due to get underway on traffic-calming measures at Brading Road and Medina Road, off Groby Road, in response to a petition from residents to reduce traffic speeds. That will take place from August 17. Further traffic calming and 20mph limits are likely to be installed in the wider area in future as part of the 2023/24 programme or works.
All three projects are part of a citywide rolling programme of introducing 20mph speed limits and traffic calming measures in residential areas where requested to do so, and following consultation with local residents.
Since the start of a major programme of 20mph zones began in 2011, 67 schemes have been brought in covering 1,200 streets and more than 250km of the city’s roads. Around 72 percent of the city’s schools are now in areas with 20mph speed limits.
Leicester deputy city mayor for environment and transportation, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: “These speed reduction schemes are a key part of making residential streets in the city safer, at a time when more people than ever are walking or cycling.
“All three schemes received strong local support when residents were consulted, and they will help improve safety for everyone using these streets.
“The disruption caused by the lockdown has delayed us in putting these schemes in place, but they should still be completed for the start of the next school term.”
Headteacher of King Richard III Infant and Nursery School, Lou Harrison, added: "We're all so pleased that this work is being done around King Richard’s to help to make our children and families safer as they come to school.
“The support we've had from the city council in moving forward from our concerns has been fantastic and we're looking forward to seeing the impact in the new school year."
A video showing the growth of the city’s 20mph zones can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCU_PzKQR2o&feature=youtu.be
(Ends)