Cycle Paths

The commute on bicycle from East Goscote to Leicester could be better (especially in the city-burbs!) but in parts it’s arguable not bad…

If you travel from East Goscote to Leicester you have two good sections of ‘traffic-free’ shared walk/cycleway.

The first is 1 mile from Goscote to Wreake Valley School. A good width of quality surface that, even with school kids at 8.15, has plenty of room for cyclist

You could follow the cycle way through the back of Syston and up St Peter’s Street etc. but the direct route through Syston is not so bad going West. Coming back at night, and if the traffic’s bad, then Broad Street etc is a more pleasant option back to Wreake.

After negotiating Syston, you meet another half a mile of designated shared cycle/walkway.
This goes past Roundhill School the path is thinner in parts here with various obstructions, posts and drive-ways that need caution, but generally OK.

After the ASDA roundabout, and the pedestrian crossings with badly designed timing settings, yup have another 0.7 mile of good quality/width shared path. It has to be said that this section along with the Syston-Goscote mile is very good. Well done whom? County Council? Parish Council? Sustrans? It takes you along Wayside Drive to the Thurummy crossroads.

It’s then “on the roads” you might snake through Rushey Mead estates, Gleneagles Avenue and Catherine Street (another story) into Dysart Way and the City.
Melton Road is just a joke – try it at rush hour, try it anytime! The cycle-way past Rushey Mead is broken, hazardous and badly maintained/cleaned.
Just to mention the marked(?) section of green surface that might be relevant to bike users but needs repainting if it is… along the later section of Dysart way – what’s this for?

As mentioned, if you travel from East Goscote to Leicester you have two good sections of ‘traffic-free’ shared walk/cycleway.
This route has nearly two and a half of the seven+ miles off road. A good start?

The busiest section of on-road cycling is Catherine Street. At rush-hour this is usually backed up for half a mile with a slow-moving queue of traffic to Dysart Way.
This is a wide road with a section of hatching in the middle and wide pavements on both sides. I wonder why segregated cycle-way could not be employed here? More cycles into the city. Less traffic on this route? I guess it’s just impossible and never worth the hassel. After all who wants to promote less traffic and alternative healthier options?

Well done so far on the segments mentioned, and well done generally on cleaning these shared paths!
But what about riding bikes “into the City from Thrummy”?