Council sets end of year aim for 20mph roads plan

Many residential roads in Leicester could become 20mph zones by the end of the year, according to city council leaders.

Traffic calming measures have already been imposed in a number of streets, which cabinet members at the authority said had proved popular with residents.

The scheme is designed to reduce speeding and discourage using the routes as shortcuts, and the authority now aims to implement it across 80% of residential roads in 2026.

Assistant city mayor for environment and transport, Geoff Whittle, said: "There's concern about road safety and we've made a commitment to put the resource in and set ourselves a target to strive for. We don't want to just meander along."

"It's not something we're imposing on people. The public are demanding it of us really. All over the city, people are asking for this," he said.

Whittle added that the scheme does not apply to Leicester's main arterial routes and A-roads, where traffic needs to continue flowing freely.

Leicester City Council said it had consulted about 60,000 households, as well as businesses and schools, with an average approval rating of 83%.

In Guildford Road, residents had reportedly campaigned for traffic calming measures for about 25 years because drivers were using the road as a cut-through.

However, the wider scheme has not come without criticism.

In Braunstone South, where measures were introduced earlier this year, residents previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that speed cushions had caused problems for neighbours with spinal injuries.

Whittle said he was "sympathetic" to those concerns.

He said national figures suggested average speeds fall by about 2mph when 20mph signs are introduced, while roads with speed bumps can see reductions of between 5mph and 7mph.

The latest roads set to become part of a 20mph zone were announced on 13 May and centre around the Mellor Primary School area.

Listen to BBC Radio Leicester on Sounds and follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.