19 streets in the city set to get a 20mph speed limit
RESIDENTS SUPPORT SAFETY MEASURES
NEW 20mph speed limits are to be put in place on 19 streets in Belgrave - where a number of trafficcalming measures will also be installed to make sure drivers do not drive too fast.
Residents living near Abbey Mead Primary Academy, in Ross Walk, Belgrave, backed the tighter speed restrictions in a recent consultation.
The streets to be included in the new scheme include those between the River Soar north of Abbey Park, extending as far as the existing 20mph zone to the west of Belgrave Road.
The restrictions will link up with an existing 20mph zone which is already in place covering the streets off Belgrave Road and Melton Road.
The changes are going to cost about £64,000, taken from Leicester City Council’s Active Travel and Road Safety budget for the 2021/22 financial year.
Police do not officially enforce 20mph speed restrictions so traffic-calming measures will be installed to make sure drivers stick to the new limits.
These include speed cushions along Ross Walk, along with fullwidth speed humps at the road’s junction with Holden Street.
Rows of bollards will be put in place near the junction of McKay Avenue and Ross Walk to deter pavement parking and improve safety for pedestrians.
A build out and full-width speed hump will be put in place in Bruin Street, near to Ross Walk, which is intended to reduce the crossing distance and slow traffic.
Detailed designs and traffic orders relating to the changes are being drawn up, with a view to the measures being installed in February 2022.
A total of 157 residents responded to the council’s consultation, with 90 per cent of them supporting the introduction of the 20mph speed limit, while 87 per cent supported traffic-calming measures.
Letters are now being sent to residents updating them on the plans.
Councillor Adam Clarke, deputy mayor for environment and transportation, said: “Many of the surrounding streets already have a 20mph limit in place.
“This latest work connects the schemes on either side of Belgrave Road, and those east of Abbey Lane.
“Those who took part in the public consultation firmly backed the introduction of these measures, which will be in place early in the new year.
“Since the start of a major programme of 20mph zones began in 2011, measures have been brought in on well over 1,200 streets across the city, and about three-quarters of the city’s schools are now in areas with 20mph speed limits.
“Together, these measures help improve safety and can help encourage more people to cycle or walk to school instead of using the car.”