Wales’s Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport Lee Waters has announced grant funding for local authorities of over £30m to improve access to active travel, deliver safer routes and improved road safety to communities across Wales.
£12.7m of the new Active Travel Fund have been allocated to ambitious active travel schemes that have the potential to transform walking and cycling in their area, while a share of £6.3m will be allocated to all local authorities for minor improvement schemes on active travel routes, feasibility and pre-work on ambitious new schemes, and the promotion, monitoring and evaluation of schemes. The specific projects benefiting from the active travel funding will be announced shortly.
Safe Routes in Communities projects, such as Coity Higher Community safe Routes in Bridgend will receive a share of £5,028,595, for footway resurfacing and widening, a railway station pedestrian access and new crossing points among other improvements.
The Road Safety money will be split between capital and revenue spend. Projects such as a route safety treatment and additional road safety measures identified in conjunction with police on the A4080 Llanfairpwll to Aberffraw in Anglesey and 20mph zones in Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea will take their funding from £3,969,743 of capital funding.
Road safety revenue funding has been prioritised for schemes and training promoting active travel. Over 80% of the of £1,858,355 of road safety revenue funding is directed towards such initiatives, with over £650,000 being allocated for National Standards Cycle training and over £850,000 for a variety of pedestrian safety schemes encouraging walking as an active journey.
Communities and businesses from across the Valleys will soon benefit from a new Welsh Government funded out of hours bus service.
The pilot, which will run for one year with the option of a second, has been developed through the Welsh Government’s Valleys Taskforce and is one of a range of pilots designed to explore how community transport services can best serve workers or those looking to get into work, delivering a ‘flexible transport to work’ system.