Work set to start on bus lanes along the A426 from Blaby into Leicester
Work on a controversial project to install bus lanes on one of the busiest routes into Leicester will begin on Monday.
Thousands of people objected to the £5 million project, jointly run by Leicestershire County Council, Leicester City Council, and Arriva.
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Residents opposed the plans to install bus lanes on the A426
County Hall, who approved the scheme first in December, have said it would ease congestion along the A426 from Blaby into the city.
From Sunday night, lanes on the Glen Parva stretch of the road will be narrowed and traffic lights could be installed, with work on water pipes and cables in the pavement and street set to begin the following day.
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This work will continue until April, when more intensive work will start in Glen Parva between Grange Drive and Soar Valley Way, and in Aylestone between Marsden Lane and Hall Lane.
Officers at Leicestershire County Council said the 24-hour bus lanes would make buses more reliable, ease congestion and make the road safer for cyclists.
But residents said the work was unnecessary and disputed claims it would cut journey times by between 15 minutes and half an hour.
Sylvia Tucker, 68, of Leicester Road, Glen Parva, was one of 4,000 residents who signed a petition opposing the plans.
She said: "It is simply not necessary. I caught a bus to and from the city every day for 30 years before I retired and there was never a problem."
Leicestershire County Council, which approved the plans in December, said a number of changes had been made as a result of feedback from residents.
The work will be paid for by a £2.5 million Government grant, supplemented by £1.5 million from the city council, £595,000 from the county council and £290,000 from Arriva.
Lesley Pendleton, county council spokesman for environment and transport said: "We believe this work will improve bus journey times and service reliability and relieve congestion on a key route."
10 Comments
by georgeisafish
Sunday, March 03 2013, 7:35PM
“great. weeks, months of misery for motorists again. it was chaos today at 3pm, lord knows what will happen tomorrow onwards”
by GriffGriff
Saturday, March 02 2013, 12:25PM
“@johnboy313 . . . In response again, I came from the council estate in Knighton Fields, I don't live on the said road, but I do drive along it regularly (which councillors do not).
It doesn't take too much intelligence or observation to note that the traffic jams into the city begin at the city border (which is coincidental, nothing more!)
I bet you use the buses and travel into the city . . . the majority of people do not, so what use are the buses? It won't increase the number of people using them.”
by loublue2010
Friday, March 01 2013, 7:33PM
“As a Blaby resident I really don't see what difference it will make having these bus lanes. I feel sorry for the residents and commuters who will be affected by this waste of time!”
by johnboy313
Friday, March 01 2013, 6:45PM
“Oh Griff griff thinks its okay to expand bus lanes as long as its not in the county, i wonder if he lives in the county? Be worse still if he lived on the said road. He would be King Nimby!!”
by BlueMoon179
Friday, March 01 2013, 1:01PM
“And what would you suggest is 'useful'?”
by GriffGriff
Friday, March 01 2013, 12:41PM
“@BlueMoon179 . . . In response, I have no problem with progress or improvement and I do use the buses to go into the city which is very rare.
I do have a problem and will moan about wanton waste of resources. I have agreed that the A426 requires widening from the city border into town but if the traffic is observed properly, there is no gain to be achieved with bus lanes into the county. It will not increase the number of people using the buses!
The money saved would be best spent on something useful.”
by BlueMoon179
Friday, March 01 2013, 12:27PM
“Ever noticed that whenever someone proposes a change to anything, that could improve things, there's thousands of people around who don't wantr the change, but are quite happy to maon about the current state of everything!!
Can't have it both ways, You either want progress and improvements, or stop moaning about the way things are!!!
It'd be interesting to see what propositions these anti-progress people would put forward, and I guarantee nothing would be 'in their back yard'. Therefore allowing some other anti-progress people in a different area to start moaning!!!”
by Graham_LE8
Friday, March 01 2013, 11:59AM
“I'm sure that if the criteria to be met is "we councillors spent taxpayers money establishing our green credentials on a project with little quantifiable improvement in traffic management or gain in public transport usage", then it'll be deemed a great success...”
by Stoned
Friday, March 01 2013, 9:09AM
“@GriffGriff.....I'm sure no-one will take responsibility for this if it doesn't work, after all it isn't their money and those who devised and approved the scheme will probably have been kicked off the council by then. I'm pretty sure that having a conscience isn't a pe-requisite for being a councillor.”
by GriffGriff
Friday, March 01 2013, 8:13AM
“I wonder who will take responsibility and pick up the bill when no there is only a tiny improvement in bus times (nothing at all achieved prior to Red House Road), no increase in the people using the buses (as we don't all want to go into the city) and traffic congestion increases?”