Bid for £2m for Shropshire cycleways goes to government
Shropshire Council has bid for almost £2million of Government funding to help improve facilities for pedestrians and cyclists in the county.
An application for £1.929m has been submitted to the Department for Transport’s Emergency Active Travel Fund, that aims to help councils create an environment that is safer for both walking and cycling.
Shropshire Council has been provided with an indicative allocation of £414,000, but there is a competitive bidding process, and bids can be for more or less than the allocated amount.
The money would go to four major project, including refreshing all the county's current cycle lanes. The 1,800 miles of existing cycle lanes would benefit from cleaning, repainting, signs and, where required, improved surfaces.
There would also be improved cycle parking in all key towns – to be agreed with local councils and cycling groups.
A major project would be the Bicton to Shrewsbury Town Centre corridor, three-metre-wide shared cycle and pedestrian footpath, to link the park and ride site, hospital and the two new schools with the town centre. The bid also requests funding to replace Porthill Bridge so a new DDA-compliant bridge can installed and provide a continuation of the cycle routes.
The fourth project would provide a pedestrian/cycle bridge at the busy Mile End roundabout, Oswestry, where two trunk roads merge.
Steve Davenport, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Improved infrastructure for cycling and walking is a key government priority and this funding aims to help councils to create an environment that is safer for both walking and cycling. The time allowed to submit a funding bid was very tight – just 19 days – but we’ve submitted a strong and ambitious application, that far exceeds our allotted allocation and shows our determination to provide new and improved cycling and walking facilities in the county. We’ll now wait – with fingers firmly crossed – for an announcement.
“In addition to the projects in the bid, we’ve also identified a number of other potential schemes and will submit further funding bids for these as and when extra funding becomes available.”
An announcement about the funding bid is expected in mid-September.
