"We're fuming over council's confusing £10m road and cycle lanes - they're an accident waiting to happen"
SWNS
2023-05-23
Views 30
Locals are fuming over a council’s confusing new road lanes which cost £10million, saying it looks like a “magic eye picture”.
The markings include a two-way cycle lane, a bus lane in the middle of the road, double yellow lines, a partial filter lane and a path for pedestrians.
The work on Fosse Road North in Leicester is part of a major overhaul of the main route into the city costing a total of £10.4million.
But it has been branded a “waste of money” by motorists who say it is confusing and is an "accident waiting to happen".
Leicester City Council received hundreds of scathing social media comments from furious drivers after they unveiled the new road markings.
One said: “Perfect example of how to take a perfectly usable road and create chaos.”
Another wrote: “Wow!! The cycle lane is twice as wide as the actual road…Combined with the new traffic lights at Stephenson Drive junction, this has congestion written all over it.”
Another social media user said: “Another complete waste of money.”
Meanwhile another stormed: “What in the hell have you done to this road!? Thought you were making it less confusing – not more.”
The changes are part of a scheme to improve the area around Five Ways Junction by the A50 to allow pedestrians and cyclists to have their own designated lanes along with buses cars and other vehicles.
The scheme is expected to cost about £10.4million and will be funded through a mix of Enterprise Zone funding through the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), and the Transforming Cities Fund following the city council’s successful bid for £32million.
City highways director Martin Fletcher defended the new markings, saying the design complied with rules set by the Department for Transport.
He said: "The thousands of bus users who use that route every week they are going to see a much-needed benefit in terms of waits.
"In real terms it isn't much of a change in terms of traffic flow. The two-way flow is still there; it is still as it was.
"We have just repurposed some of the road space and widened the footpath and roadway to give us that extra width for the bus bypass lane to get to the junction quicker."
The markings include a two-way cycle lane, a bus lane in the middle of the road, double yellow lines, a partial filter lane and a path for pedestrians.
The work on Fosse Road North in Leicester is part of a major overhaul of the main route into the city costing a total of £10.4million.
But it has been branded a “waste of money” by motorists who say it is confusing and is an "accident waiting to happen".
Leicester City Council received hundreds of scathing social media comments from furious drivers after they unveiled the new road markings.
One said: “Perfect example of how to take a perfectly usable road and create chaos.”
Another wrote: “Wow!! The cycle lane is twice as wide as the actual road…Combined with the new traffic lights at Stephenson Drive junction, this has congestion written all over it.”
Another social media user said: “Another complete waste of money.”
Meanwhile another stormed: “What in the hell have you done to this road!? Thought you were making it less confusing – not more.”
The changes are part of a scheme to improve the area around Five Ways Junction by the A50 to allow pedestrians and cyclists to have their own designated lanes along with buses cars and other vehicles.
The scheme is expected to cost about £10.4million and will be funded through a mix of Enterprise Zone funding through the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), and the Transforming Cities Fund following the city council’s successful bid for £32million.
City highways director Martin Fletcher defended the new markings, saying the design complied with rules set by the Department for Transport.
He said: "The thousands of bus users who use that route every week they are going to see a much-needed benefit in terms of waits.
"In real terms it isn't much of a change in terms of traffic flow. The two-way flow is still there; it is still as it was.
"We have just repurposed some of the road space and widened the footpath and roadway to give us that extra width for the bus bypass lane to get to the junction quicker."
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