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Lincolnshire County Council has revealed what changes will be made to streets to make cycling and walking easier.
The Department for Transport granted the council £105,500 from the first round of the emergency active travel fund to support the installation of temporary projects during the recovery from COVID-19.
For the second round of funding, due to take place later this year, the council would like residents to help shape the longer-term projects.
Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “This second tranche of funding is worth over £800,000 for Lincolnshire, so there is more scope for ambitious projects on our roads. This is why we’d like residents to let us know where they’d like to see new cycle lanes, widened paths, or road closures.
“Your ideas will help us shape the future of our streets and ensure that any changes we make are the most appropriate and useful to the community. You can also give us feedback on the changes we’re making with the first round of funding –whether the temporary measures should be made permanent, or whether you think changes would be better suited elsewhere.”
Ideas for pavement widening, new cycleways or road closures can be submitted online at www.widenmypath.com. The site allows you to pinpoint on a map where you’d like to see changes. To further help shape the plans, Lincolnshire County Council will host a virtual cycling summit with invited representatives from each district and local cycling clubs.
“We were disappointed that the Department for Transport only granted us half the funding we had applied for in the first round,” added Davies. “However we’re already working on our plans for the second round, to make sure we get as much money as possible to make these improvements.
“The virtual cycling summit will be an opportunity to have an open discussion with local representatives from across Lincolnshire. Bringing local knowledge into our plans will make sure they will have the most benefit to their area. When it comes to upgrading our cycling infrastructure, having a coordinated approach that allows cyclists to reach more destinations will have the biggest impact on increasing the rate of cycling and take traffic off our roads.
“The emergency active travel fund is just a part of our grand plans for cycling infrastructure in Lincolnshire. The cycling and walking plans we’re producing for each town – which your suggestions on www.widenmypath.com will also help shape – will further drive forward sustainable travel in Lincolnshire. And we’re working with North and North East Lincolnshire on a Greater Lincolnshire cycling programme to apply for more cycling infrastructure funding through the LEP.”
The announcement of cycling and walking infrastructure improvements comes as the Government launches its £50 Fix Your Bike voucher scheme to help further boost cycling.
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