Leicester cycle routes boosted by £1.2m investment

Work is due to begin later this month and is due to take about nine months

A series of cycle and walking routes around and into Leicester are to benefit from £1.2m of investment.

Work will make existing lanes linking New Lubbesthorpe and Meridian Leisure Park with the city centre safer and more attractive, officials said.

The project will be delivered by Leicester City Council working with the county council, Blaby District Council and Braunstone Town Council.

Work is due to begin later this month, and is due to take around nine months.

'Cleaner, greener and cheaper'

The proposed scheme will involve widening and improving footpaths, creating safer crossings at key junctions and building new paths to provide direct links to existing cycling provision.

Pop-up cycle lanes on Braunstone Lane East, Western Boulevard and Mill Lane will be made permanent.

The scheme is backed by more than £500,000 from the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) along with £450,000 of Department for Transport cash through Sustrans Paths for Everyone.

Deputy City Mayor Adam Clarke said: "For the city to grow sustainably, it is essential that we provide the infrastructure to help people make the shift to more sustainable and active forms of transport for their shorter journeys.

"By making routes safer for pedestrians and cyclists, we are enabling more people to leave the car at home and choose cleaner, greener and cheaper ways of getting about."