£6.5m cycling boost for cities

Six cities will share £6.5m of government funding that will improve access and safety for cyclists.

In February, the Department for Transport gave Cycle Ambition Cities the chance to bid for a share of the funding.

The six Cycle Ambition Cities with successful bids are:

• Birmingham, who will receive £1.3m for a new cycleway and improved road markings.
• Bristol, who will receive £479,000 for improved road crossings.
• Cambridge, who  will receive £550,000 for access for cyclists and crossings for pedestrians.
• Leeds, who will receive £1,470,000 for a new 6km cycle route.
• Manchester, who will receive £1.54m for a major junction upgrade,
• Norwich, who will receive £685,000 for improvements to crossings and access for cyclists.

Cycling Minister Jesse Norman said: ‘I want us to become a nation of cyclists, and to make cycling a natural choice for people of all ages and backgrounds.

‘While Britain has some of the safest roads in the world, we want to encourage still more people to take up cycling.

‘We are determined to make cycling safer and easier across the country. This funding, as part of our overall cycling and walking strategy, will help local councils to make their roads safer for everyone.’

Roger Geffen, policy director at Cycling UK, told New Start: ‘Although this is not new money, it is good to know it will be spent by councils who are serious about boosting cycle use.  Yet there are so many more roads, streets and junctions that are crying out for similar investment.

‘The Government is planning to unveil yet more road-building plans, contrary to its own stated aims for a more efficient, safer low-emissions transport system. Ministers need to devote a far greater share of the transport ‘cake’ to walking and cycling if they really want more people to take up healthy travel instead.’

The Department for Transport launched the first ever statutory cycling and walking investment strategy in April 2017, to encourage more people to cycle and walk. This sets out how the government will deliver its ambition for cycling, and outlines how the £1.2bn of funding available over the period to 2021 will be spent.