Bottleneck road in Harborough will be closed for 12 hours on Sunday

A notorious bottleneck road in Market Harborough will be closed for 12 hours on Sunday (September 20) as vital work is carried out to improve it.

The town’s Kettering Road will be shut to all motorists between Jordan Close and Gorse Lane between 8am and 8pm.

Work is going ahead to improve the notorious local choke point for both drivers and cyclists as well as boosting traffic flow.

The scheme will widen popular cycle lanes under the railway bridge and set up temporary traffic lights either side of it.

It’s being carried out as part of Leicestershire County Council’s £300,000 Emergency Active Travel Fund handed out by the Government.

Both national and local politicians are striving to persuade more people to cycle amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Cllr Trevor Pendleton, the county council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Nationally, there’s been a 100 per cent increase in cycling and walking for leisure purposes as a result of the lockdown so we want these positive behaviour changes to continue.

“Our safe and sustainable travel teams are working hard to continue developing this positive change, not only for the health of our residents, but for our environment too.”

He added: “By making it easier for people to walk or cycle safely, we’re helping to make Leicestershire a greener, healthier and happier place to live.

“These changes being announced won’t be all of them. “We want to support walking and cycling, more projects are in the pipeline and we would very much welcome suggestions for other changes.”