Mayor Claire Ward said:“The £15m investment shows the real difference devolution can make when decisions are taken closer to the people and places they affect.
“Whether travelling to work, school, appointments or for leisure, high-quality transport networks open up opportunities for residents of the East Midlands and help our towns and cities to grow sustainably.
“By working together with Nottingham City Council, we are delivering real, visible changes to daily life, whether expanding the popular cycle route along Wigman Road, upgrading local footpaths or introducing new mobility hubs to make it easier to switch between different types of transport. This is how we build a stronger, greener and better-connected region for everyone.”
Mayor Claire Ward is keen to support transport improvements.
Integrated transport
The Mayoral Transport Fund, backed by Government, aims to drive growth and productivity through investment in integrated transport networks. The Nottingham funding will unlock transport improvements, to connect communities safely and sustainably with work, leisure and education.
£4.5m – Continue active travel improvements from the existing Wigman Road scheme to Harvey Hadden. A second phase of the popular Wigman Road active travel corridor will connect communities safely with Harvey Hadden Sports Village – host to 60k users a month and regular cycle training activities – with Bilborough and onward routes via National Cycle Route 6. The scheme will benefit all road users including pedestrians, cyclists and motorists through a ‘whole street approach’. This means the Council will improve whole scheme area, including the footpaths. Pedestrian improvements will be introduced including a new crossing near Oak Field School, improved crossings at key junctions, renewal of road safety features and improved visibility and priority at all side roads along the corridor.
£6m – Access for all programme of improvements to walking routes This funding will enable Nottingham City Council to kick off an annual programme of improvements to paths to make sure everyone can get around Nottingham safely. These will include surface treatments, lighting, signs, dropped crossings and improved road crossing points which will improve links to key employment sites, education sites and recreational facilities. Improvements to the existing Rights of Way network and new pedestrian links have also been identified that can be delivered on a rolling programme, including enhanced north south connections between Trent Bridge and Old Market Square, East-West connectivity between the new Waterside Bridge, through the Meadows to Queens Drive, improved connections to local centres and, improved connections to the Big Track and River Leen.
£3m – Mobility Hubs Six mobility hubs are already in place in neighbourhoods around the city at Percy Street in Old Basford, Wollaton’s Lambourne Drive , Dales Centre Library in Sneinton, Bulwell Station, Sherwood’s Winchester Street and the Bridgeway Centre in The Meadows. Located alongside traditional forms of transport close to bus or tram stops, the hubs bring together different modes of shared and sustainable transport, with the aim of boosting the use of transport services by providing improved connectivity and accessibility between different transport modes. This funding will enable the introduction of more hubs over the next three years.
£2m – Revenue funding for development work This revenue funding will be used to develop the next phase of development work around Maid Marian Way, the Broad Marsh area connectivity, including a potential future tram stop, an extension of the public realm from the Green Heart along Lister Gate to connect to Old Market Square, Nottingham Station Gateway improvements package, further development of the Ring Road, and other transport improvements linked to development sites. Development work will also continue to design and cost proposals for the final section of the segregated active travel corridor on Wigman Road between Harvey Hadden, Strelley Road and the A6002, completing the corridor between the Ring Road and Western Outer Loop Road.
Transport improvements
This new funding comes after Nottingham City Council also received £17.6m of transport funding from EMCCA which was approved at its April Executive Board meeting. That funding is already being utilised for for the continued delivery of the city’s highway maintenance programme, community and neighbourhood improvements, the Streets for People programme and road safety improvements.
Coun Patience Ifediora, Nottingham City Council executive member for regional development, growth and transport, said:“This welcome funding will make a big difference in the everyday lives of our residents and visitors – making getting around the city easier and safer, extending a safe segregated cycle corridor on a key route, rolling out more mobility hubs to our neighbourhoods and developing our ambitions for future projects.
“A large part of this funding will go towards changes that will make it easier for people to choose walking, wheeling and cycling for their everyday journeys, better connecting communities with schools, parks and leisure centres and helping to create a healthier, greener city.”
