A DEDICATED new bus lane is set to be put in place to help improve services on a busy route into the city.
Leicester City Council will install the new bus only lane on part of the outbound section of the A607 Melton Road between its junctions with Lanesborough Road and Troon Way. The existing inbound bus lane will also be extended, with a new section installed from Braemer Drive to Glencoe Avenue.
The A607 Melton Road is a major route for bus services in and out of the city. However, the volumes of traffic on this part of the route, close to the city boundary, can cause delays for bus services at busy times.
Work to install the new bus lane will begin on Saturday 18 February and is expected to take around one week to complete. All work will be carried out during off-peak hours, when lane closures will be in place. The work has been scheduled for the school half-term to help minimise disruption.
The work will also involve alterations to the existing U-turn facility on Melton Road, close to Oakland Avenue. This will help ensure that traffic using the U-turn can do so without causing an obstruction to outbound traffic flow.
The scheme has been designed and modelled so existing capacity at junctions can be maintained and general traffic flow will not be adversely affected.
The new bus lane will come into use from Monday 27 February. Camera enforcement of the new bus lanes is also proposed.
Resurfacing on the inbound bus lane on this part of Melton Road is due to take place in late spring/early summer.
The new bus lane is the latest in a range of improvements made on this part of Melton Road. This includes resurfacing work and improvements to the pedestrian crossings at the Lanesborough Road roundabout; extending the existing 30mph speed restriction to make the area safer for all road users; reinforcing the existing drainage gullies to help prevent flooding; and installing a new digital variable message sign to display a wide range of traffic-related information.
The improvements are funded through the Transforming Cities programme, following the city council’s successful bids for £40million of Government cash to help fund improvements to local public transport and support more cycling and walking routes between local neighbourhoods and the city centre.
Deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clarke, who leads on transport, clean air and climate emergency, said: “The A607 Melton Road is an important route for buses in and out of the city. Currently, the volumes of traffic are creating a pinch point for buses on this part of the route. This means that services are delayed and can become unreliable at busy times.
“By introducing a new bus lane and extending the existing one, we can help improve bus journey times and make bus travel a more attractive, dependable option.
“Introducing new bus lanes is a key way of improving bus journey times, and is one of the main priorities of our Leicester Bus Partnership. We have seen how the introduction of new bus lanes on busy routes – such as Aylestone Road – can have a positive impact on bus patronage, with increases of up to 13 per cent.
“Getting more people onto buses and helping to reduce the number of journeys they take by car will further improve the city’s air quality and support Leicester’s response to the climate emergency. We need to be bold and ambitious in our plans to deliver a greener solution for the future growth of our city.”
Leicester City Council is carrying out an ambitious £80million citywide programme of investment in sustainable transport, backed by £40million from the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund. The package of work is delivering major sustainable transport improvements to provide attractive choices for people to get to work, education, local and other facilities supporting the city’s growth and deliver on the council’s climate emergency, air quality and healthy living commitments.
The Leicester Bus Partnership brings together Leicester City Council and all the city’s bus companies to help transform the bus network over the next eight years by delivering a package of measures to collectively improve and sustain bus travel. It aims to bring about a transformative change in bus travel, that’s electric, frequent, reliable, easy and great value. Find out more at: https://www.leicesterbuses.co.uk