The Department for Transport has recently announced the second tranche allocation of the Active Travel Fund for local transport authorities. The Active Travel Fund was introduced earlier this year and supports the production and development of cycling and walking facilities in local communities.
The city of Derby has been allocated £776,150 in the second tranche to support the creation of longer-term projects. This follows the allocation of £227,923 under the first tranche over the Summer for temporary projects during the pandemic.
The city council’s bid for the funding, ‘Moving Derby Forward part two’ consisted of four proposed schemes. These schemes include segregated cycle lanes on key routes, a Cycle Derby Plan to provide information and training and traffic reduction measures on Normanton Road to facilitate social distancing and improve the environment for shoppers and commuters. A School Safe Haven Project was also proposed to promote active travel for trips to schools and reduce traffic at school gates.
Amanda Solloway, Member of Parliament for Derby North, has commented on the new allocation of active travel funding for Derby and how it might benefit the local area.
Amanda said
“This is great news for Derby and the funding will go a long way to promoting active travel in our communities and making it safer for users. I am passionate about the many benefits of active travel, including improving physical and mental health and wellbeing, together with the tremendous scope for better protecting the environment.
Nationally, the Prime Minister has set out an ambitious ten-point plan towards a greener future, with a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. Investing in local greener transport infrastructure and promoting active travel is so important to protecting our environment and easing the future transition we all need to make.
It’s been encouraging to see an upsurge in people taking up cycling during the pandemic, and I’ve been proud to support local initiatives, including the Cycle2Work scheme to support keyworkers and the recent launch of the e-scooter trial in Derby. The new funding allocation offers great opportunities to support safer and greener transport in Derby for the future.”