There are benefits for all road users in this project. We can already see the benefits for people in Victoria Street and Albert Street. Wider and less cluttered pavements improve conditions for pedestrians. New bus facilities with raised kerbs at stops, improve conditions for bus users. Cyclists can access the area from Wardwick and Morledge. Car users now have improved access into the city centre from the existing inner Ring Road from St Alkmund's Way.

The remaining phases of the project bring about even more benefits.

Benefits for bus users

At the moment, buses in the city get caught up in congestion caused by the high number of cars on the road. We want to improve the reliability of buses. We will do this by putting new bus lanes on main routes into the city centre, including:

• Friar Gate, from Bridge Street to Cheapside
• Uttoxeter New Road
• Burton Road
• Normanton Road
• King Street, between Queen Street and St Helen's Street

These new bus lanes will increase Derby's bus lanes by over 50%. This will help to improve bus reliability, and will hopefully encourage more people to use buses. We will put in special traffic lights, which let buses through before other traffic. Bus companies are very supportive of our plans.

Benefits for people who walk

Moving traffic away from existing roads and onto the new ring road will create a more pleasant walking environment. There will be new pedestrian-friendly controlled crossing points along the new road. We have spoken to local residents and schools to find out how they get around the area. We were able to respond to people's needs, and put crossings in where people need them most. All new crossings along the road will have tactile paving and devices to help disabled people.

Benefits for cyclists

Taking cars and buses away creates a better cycling environment. Many Streets that have lots of traffic in them at the moment will be quieter, so that cyclists will feel safer. Cyclists will be able to use the new crossing facilities with pedestrians. We will put new cycle lanes along the entire route of the inner ring road to make cycling more attractive. There will be special arrangements at traffic lights, which will allow cyclists to get to the front of the queue to improve their journey times. Together this will complete an extensive cycle network in the city centre, and will make all routes as direct and continuous as possible.

Benefits for people who use cars

The new route will be direct and well signed. Car users will no longer have to use 'rat runs' or the tortuous route of the existing inner ring road. Traffic signals which link to each other will help traffic to flow better. This will keep delays to a minimum and help reduce the impact of poor air quality.

Road safety benefits

By making changes to the way junctions work and improving facilities for all road users, we expect injuries caused by road traffic accidents to decrease over the 30 year life of Connecting Derby. We expect that three deaths, 59 serious injuries and 877 slight injuries will be prevented. This would benefit us all, and would save the community around £25 million* in costs associated with attendance to crashes by the emergency Services, and hospitalisation. People will feel safer in streets that have less traffic; this will help encourage people to walk in and around their area, creating healthier lifestyles and reducing reliance on other forms of transport.

*Predicted savings from Simulation Model Scheme Economics, Atkins, June 2004