Cycle Safety Funding

Norman Baker Excerpts

Monday 15th April 2013 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Norman Baker)]

On 4 April 2013 I announced the 78 schemes to be offered support under the cycle safety fund. The total value of the schemes is £40 million of which the DFT will contribute approximately £20 million.

The funding from the Department for Transport comes from £15 million of capital funding announced in June 2012 and £5 million announced in November 2012. This forms part of the £107 million of additional cycling infrastructure investment announced by DFT in 2012. This is in addition to the £600 million being invested in the local sustainable transport fund. The majority of the 96 LSTF schemes include measures to make cycling easier and safer. Last year the Department also launched a Think! campaign to encourage cyclists and motorists to look out for each other on the road.

The money will be made available to improve the design and layout of roads at 78 locations across the country, with all schemes due for completion within the next 12 months. The schemes will target those routes and junctions where real improvements can be made to both cyclist safety and the perceptions of safety for cyclists, which can be a real barrier to travel choice.

The schemes are a mixture of improvements including the reallocation of road space, significant simplification of road layouts, changes in priority, changes in junction layouts, designs that lower vehicle speeds, changes to crossings and the provision of bypasses.

To help ensure that the best schemes are funded, the Department has been supported by a panel of experts co-ordinated by the transport charity Sustrans, including representatives of CTC, British Cycling, Cycle Nation, Campaign to Protect Rural England and Transport for London.

All schemes will commence once co-funders have confirmed they wish to accept the DFT grant offer.

A complete list of schemes offered funding has been made available on the DFT website.