Temporary cycle lane markers replaced with concrete

The council said replacing the plastic bollards will improve safety of all users

A temporary cycle lane on one of Leicester's main roads is to become permanent, despite local concerns.

The lane in Aylestone Road was among those set up in 2020 and is marked with thin orange plastic bollards.

Work has started to replace the bollards with concrete curbing with extra signs and lighting.

The council said the move would encourage cycling but a local councillor said it was "just replacing one trip hazard with another".

'Nuisance' lane

The lane runs from just before the junction with Richmond Avenue to just after Euro Garages County Service Station on both sides of the road.

The work is expected to last about five weeks and will mean temporary lane restrictions and "short-term road closures" on 24 September and 8 October, the council confirmed.

In an email to the council, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, local ward councillor, Liberal Democrat Nigel Porter, said: "[The concrete kerb] would seriously restrict the width of the carriageway and present a number of physical obstacles in the road.

"Putting concrete blocks in the road is just replacing one trip hazard with another.

"Pedestrians should be able to cross the road safely without tripping over concrete blocks or the bases of the upright poles in the cycle lanes.

"Local residents have said that the cycle lanes on Aylestone Road have made the road less safe and they are also a nuisance."

But the city council said it had sent letters to local residents and businesses and had "actively" engaged with the "small number of people who have responded".

The council spokesman said: "Making permanent routes like the existing pop-up cycle lane on Aylestone Road is another important expansion of the city's growing network of safe and attractive routes for walkers, wheelers and cyclists connecting with Leicester's busy local neighbourhoods.

"We have also seen a significant reduction in collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists since the introduction of the temporary measures."