Current Issues

The problem of student parking and traffic in Loughborough is once again moving higher up the political agenda.

A group of residents on roads close to the university have formed themselves into an alliance called "Swampedbycars" and have set up a web presence at www.swampedbycars.blogspot.com. They have submitted a document setting out their demands to Charnwood Borough Council that can be read at http://tiny.cc/bxgEB. A letter has also been published by the Loughborough Echo under the signature "Swampedbycars" which can be read here.

Their main point being that 40 of the top universities have imposed parking restrictions, so why not Loughborough? They request an exclusion zone of 1 mile (see map below) which seems rather unambitious..

This would mean that students could park cars in areas just outside the zone which would be easy to reach and simply transfer the problem futher out while doing little to reduce traffic as students would still use these cars. In our opinion the best option would be to emulate Cambridge University and not allow students to bring a car within 10 miles of All Saints Church Loughbrough without specific permission.

Draft plans for Loughborough Town Centre following the building of the ring road have now been published on the Leicestershire Website as the first part of the public consultation exercise. The plans themselves can be downloaded by clicking here (pdf).

A Station Travel Plan for Loughborough Railway Station is currently being drawn up. We are represented on a committee trying to finalise a list of actions, both short and medium term, aimed at increasing the proportion of people travelling to and from the station by sustainable modes. If you have any ideas for increasing the use of cycles (currently a 3% share) for travel to/from the station please join the discussion forum and contribute them. There is scope for a big increase, given that the size of Loughborough is ideal for cycle journeys.

In particular ideas for promoting cycling as a means of travel to the station would be welcome.

The formal planning application for the Eastern Gateway (housing and link road, not the area between the station and the link road) is now out and can be viewed here. . Of the vast array of documents, the most significant are "Masterplan", "Design & Access Statement", "Transport Assessment" and "Travel Plan". The latter two contain some informationabout bus services and various other things.

There appear to be only minor changes since the consultation at the end of last year. In particular, the shared-use cycle/pedestrian paths on both sides of the link road are still there, despite our objections. We would prefer cycle lanes with advanced stop lines at the junctions (as already installed on Nottingham Road - but with at least 1.5 metres width for the cycle lanes, unlike on Nottingham Road!).

Another issue is the extension of the pedestrian area in Loughborough and the restriction/exclusion of buses. Current proposals are, following completion of the ring road, to allowing buses to pass along the old A6 to the south only, with a view to removing them all together if the majority of councillors have their way. This will make life difficult for bus users and in particular the elderly who may no longer be able to drive and find walking any distance difficult. Action for a Better Charnwood is campaigning to keep the buses in the town centre and you can find more details on this issue here.

New regulations are to be introduced for cyclists, so we will have to be watchful to ensure that the the situation is improved with regard to the permeability of the town centre to cyclists.

Loughborough & District
Cycle Users' Campaign