CYCLISTS will be given more room on a major Weymouth route thanks to resurfacing work by Dorset Council.

The council's highways team has been busy resurfacing roads and repainting cycle lanes on a number of routes, as part of works to encourage more people to take up cycling instead of driving.

One of the roads to benefit from slightly wider cycle lanes is Dorchester Road in Weymouth.

A Dorset Council spokesman said: "As part of resurfacing work on Dorchester Road, we have altered the layout of the road to give slightly more room to the cycle lanes. These have been increased from the minimum 1.5 metres width to 1.8m width from the junction with Radipole Lane to Wey Valley School. Running lane widths remain at least 3m or more throughout the link.

"Dorchester Road is a well-used cycle route for both leisure cyclists and school pupils, providing a direct and less hilly alternative to the cycle path alongside the Weymouth Relief Road for some journeys. In Cambridge, a comparable school would have 170 children cycling to school, saving 13 tonnes of CO2 per year and removing 100,000 car miles from the local roads each year."