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Derby road named after Lara Croft

02 March 2010

A city's new ring road has been named after Tomb Raider star Lara Croft following the moniker's victory in an online poll with 89% votes.

Nearly 25,000 people in Derby voted for the new road to be called Lara Croft Way, with other choices alluding to a Rolls-Royce engine and a celebrated astronomer, Derby City Council said.

The name will be given to the Osmaston Road to Burton Road stretch of Derby's new £36 million inner ring road.

The council said the name was included in the poll because it was created by Derby-based company Core Design in the mid-1990s. The character was immortalised by Angelina Jolie in films and Alison Carroll is the current model for the video game.

Councillor Lucy Care, in charge of planning and transportation at the council, said: "She was created in Derby and this naming will identify a time and place in history where she can stand alongside some of the more traditional icons of the city."

The Burton Road to Stafford Street stretch of the road will be christened Mercian Way after the army regiment which recruits soldiers from the area.

Other choices for people to vote included John Flamsteed Way, after the first Astronomer Royal, to Merlin Way, in recognition of the famous Rolls-Royce engine.

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