PLANS to redesign a congested city centre road have been unveiled in Southampton.

City council planners have taken to the streets to show how a £1.2million scheme will make the traffic-burdened London Road more pedestrian- friendly.

As part of a public feedback campaign the planning officers have set up a walk-on information bus along the road where pedestrians can add their views and suggestions to the designs.

New pavements, benches and streetlights are part of the improvement scheme for the congested road that joins The Avenue.

Pavements will also be widened at points along the street, to meet the popularity of the lively social scene with outdoor caf terraces and to support the needs of a growing nightlife.

On-street car parking will also be moved from the roadside to angled parking bays.

This is to focus parking in specific areas and reduce the visual impact of cars lining both sides of the street.

Cyclists are also set to benefit with more cycle stands and space on the carriageway to give them a safe and continuous route.

Other plans involve the busy Brunswick Place junction, where a ban on right turning traffic emerging from London Road would be enforced, along with a ban on left turning traffic from the junction into Bedford Place.

This is aimed to encourage drivers to use Dorset Street and Charlotte Place instead of using the London Road route as a shortcut.

Chairman of the Transport Panel of the Local Strategic Partnership, Nick Farthing said: "These plans provide an excellent opportunity to make London Road a much safer and more attractive environment."

The exhibition of plans will be open to the public along the road until 5pm on Saturday and so far planners feel they have had a good response to the plans. Phil Marshall, project manager for the improvement scheme, said: "The feedback we have received has been generally positive, and we are taking people's comments about the designs very seriously."

Members of the public can submit their views through a questionnaire at the exhibition and the feedback from these will then be reviewed before a detailed scheme is submitted to the city council's Cabinet during the summer.

Following council backing, the work to improve London Road could start with Brunswick Place junction by the end of the year.