The Department for Transport announced on Friday an award of £979,450 to the County Council from the Government’s Active Travel Fund to support the development of cycling in Warwickshire. The fu...
The Department for Transport announced on Friday an award of £979,450 to the County Council from the Government’s Active Travel Fund to support the development of cycling in Warwickshire.
The funding will be used to deliver two high quality cycle routes which will fill key missing links in local cycle networks. A 1.5km off-road cycle route will be provided on the A47 Long Shoot in Nuneaton as part of a route between Nuneaton and Hinckley. It will also fund the Rugby Gateway Brownsover Lane cycle route which will connect the growing community at Rugby Gateway in the north west of the town to the town’s existing cycle network. The funding will also be used to support the Council’s Safe and Active Travel Project which promotes and delivers road safety and active travel activities.
The funding provides a further boost to the County Council’s ambitious plans to place cycling at the heart of its transport system by delivering a cohesive network of safe, attractive and convenient cycle routes. Existing investment in cycling projects include:
- £6.5 million of County Council funding committed to deliver cycling routes including the Kenilworth to Leamington Spa route as well as schemes linking Nuneaton to Bedworth and Bedworth to Coventry.
- £1.9 million secured from the Government’s Getting Building Fund through Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership with an additional £0.3 million contributed by the County Council towards a package of schemes which will deliver 7km of new or improved cycle routes in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwick and Leamington Spa.
- Creating better conditions for cycling also form a key component of wider transport improvement schemes, including those being delivered in Warwick town centre, Birmingham Road Stratford-upon-Avon and Hinckley Road Nuneaton to which the County Council has committed a combined £8.7 million and secured a further £5.2 million from the Department of Transport towards the delivery costs of the Stratford-upon-Avon and Nuneaton schemes.
Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, Cllr Jeff Clarke said: “I am delighted that the County Council has secured this funding from the Active Travel Fund which will enable us to bring forward a further two important local cycling schemes and build on our ambitious and extensive programme of investment in cycling infrastructure.
“The County Council is committed to extending the reach and quality of our cycling network so that cycling can be the go-to travel choice, particularly for short urban journeys. This funding will help us accelerate our programme of cycle route development, capitalise on the growth in walking and cycling experienced during Covid-19 and support a green recovery from the impact of the pandemic. Investment in cycling will bring a wealth of benefits to our communities including reduced congestion, improved air quality and health benefits.”
Nick Abell, chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The Warwickshire Cycle Links project was an important element of our submission to Government for funding from the Getting Building Fund.
“This package of cycling schemes will meet growing demand for cycling infrastructure and deliver new or improved routes as well as expand Warwickshire’s network to help cycling to be a viable and attractive choice for journeys.”