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Transport Minister Norman Baker has today revealed that 78 locations across the country have been selected for road safety improvements.
£40 million has been allocated for the improvements and according to the DfT the design and layout of roads will be changed within the next 12 months.
The £40 million is coming from £15m announced in June last year and a further £5m announced in November. Local authorities are match-funding a £20 share.
As Bike Hub notes, the schemes are a mix of improvements including the reallocation of road space, simplification of road layouts, changes in priority, changes in junction layouts, designs that lower car speeds, changes to crossings and, one one case, the provision of a £2m bicycle bridge in Bury St Edmunds.
The Wigan West Cycling Corridor is getting the most expensive scheme at £8m, with DfT providing a grant of 8 percent. The next most expensive scheme is the Gosforth Great North Road and High Street Cycle Safety Bid in Newcastle upon Tyne. This £2.6m scheme will benefit from a 47 percent grant. In Leicester a lane of part of the ring road will be turned into a two-way cycleway.
The allocation splits across the country as follows:
• East of England: £5.31 million
• East Midlands: £3.17 million
• North East: £3.29 million
• South West: £3.09 million
• North West: £14.77 million
• South East: £5.57 million
• West Midlands: £1.51 million
• Yorkshire and Humber: £2.62 million
The locations and schemes were selected by a panel of experts including transport charity Sustrans.
A complete list of the schemes offered funding can be found here. Work will commence once confirmation has been secured by co-funding authorities.
Norman Baker said: "Cycling is healthy and reduces congestion so it is welcome news that more and more people are taking to 2 wheels. Ensuring this funding is targeted where improvements will make a real difference to cyclists is just one way we are ensuring this trend continues.
"This is part of the £107 million investment we have announced in cycling infrastructure over the last year, over and above the £600 million we have invested through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. We have launched a THINK! ‘Let’s look out for each other’ campaign and have made it easier for councils to set 20 miles per hour (mph) speed limits and install trixi mirrors at junctions so drivers are better able to see cyclists."
Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond added: "Keeping people safe on our roads is of paramount importance to me. This money will enable local authorities to put in place well targeted measures to protect cyclists across the country."
