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£8m funding secured for safer walking and cycling in the Liverpool City Region
The Liverpool City Region has been awarded almost £8m in new funding to make cycling and walking safer and easier.
The cash boost, worth £7.8m, will help deliver new low-traffic zones around schools as well as more pop-up cycle lane and widened footpaths in all six of city region’s local authority areas – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.
The funding comes as further research indicates strong and widespread public support for high-quality schemes to create space for people to walk or ride bikes safely. According to UK-wide polling recently conducted by Kantar Media, 65% support reallocating road space to cycling and walking while around 8 in 10 (78%) support measures to reduce traffic in their neighbourhood.
News of further investment in walking and cycling mark yet another step forward for active travel in the Liverpool City Region, following the introduction of the first pop-up walking and cycling lanes in the summer connecting key locations including hospitals, workplaces and town centres.
Earlier this year Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram also announced that he would be committing more than £30m to the development of the first set of permanent routes of a planned network of more than 600km of new footpaths and cycle ways.
The newly announced funding has been secured by the Combined Authority from the government’s Active Travel Fund, with work now being undertaken with local councils to plan appropriate schemes in each borough of the Liverpool City Region
As potential walking and cycling schemes are identified, the Combined Authority and councils will engage closely with local people to make sure that the new measures are put in place with the backing of residents. More information on engagement with residents and details of new schemes will be available in the coming weeks.
Alongside new and improved footpaths and cycle lanes, the funding will help deliver eighteen new ‘School Streets’ schemes, which will see temporary restrictions on traffic around schools at drop-off and pick-up times to help cut emissions and encourage parents and young people to travel by bike or on foot.
Evaluation of pilot School Streets projects has shown successful schemes can reduce harmful vehicle pollution outside schools by around 75% and increase the number of children cycling to school by 50%.
One such School Streets project is already being planned for West Derby. Headteacher of St Paul and Timothy’s Infants School, Joanne Starkey, thinks the schemes have the potential to be positive for young people and the wider neighbourhood:
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region said:
Simon O’Brien, Liverpool City Region Cycling and Walking Commissioner said:
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