Money

Yesterday the government announced the winners of the £60m Sustainable Travel Access Fund for 2017 to 2020. The fund details are here along with the criteria and application form. Thousands more people will be encouraged to cycle and walk to work thanks to a £64 million government investment, Transport Minister Andrew Jones announced today (26 January 2017). The funding will support local projects over 3 years from 2017 to 2020 and form part of a wider government package of more than £300 million to boost walking and cycling during the current parliament. ...

P1180766 - cropped In July 2014 Rotherham Council decided to spend £225,000 of their Local Transport Plan funding on improving Rotherway Roundabout [ council approval document] Earlier this year it became clear that the costs had risen to £275,000 and that the funding source had been switched to the Local Sustainable Transport Fund [ LSTF final spend document] £275,000 of LSTF money to be spent on Rotherway Roundabout Revisions. Source ...

You just couldn’t make it up. Does car parking really count as sustainable transport? The Sheffield City Region Growth Deal includes a ‘Sustainable Transport Exemplar Programme’ with £16.3m investment for five years from 2015/16 to 2021, with £3.3million in the first year. The list of schemes funded in the first year has been announced and include things like bike paths and pedestrian crossings. The largest scheme though, at £670,000, is a “Meadowhall Car Park Extension”. You read that right, a car park extension. 19% of the annual sustainable transport exemplar programme budget this year is being spent on a car park extension. ...

Today Nick Clegg, MP for Sheffield Hallam has announced £500,000 for cycle infrastructure in Yorkshire. The Deputy Prime Minister has also announced £500,000 to improve cycling facilities in Yorkshire. The investment will contribute to constructing a number of cycle circuits across the county. Every year each circuit will support 10,000 competitive and recreational cyclists who want to take part in the sport away from traffic, with access to the best support facilities. ...

Never ever believe anything from Sheffield City Council without double checking the facts and confirming it for yourself. Case in point, the Penistone Road Pinchpoints scheme. We’ve been lead to believe that funding was restricted to reducing congestion for motor transport and could not be spent on cycling or walking. This is not true and these statements were extremely misleading. The motor centric nature of transport planning in Sheffield is deeply entrenched and needs to be challenged at every opportunity. ...

Last week the draft Local Transport Plan spending plans for 2015/16 were presented to the Highway Cabinet Member Decision Session. The headline is that the transport funding allocation is being slashed by 40% and cycle funding is dropping by 25%. Current Year LTP allocation - £4.523m (cycling = £600,000) (20mph £413,000) Next Year LTP allocation - £2.540m (cycling = £450,000) (20mph £400,000) LTP funding has been diverted away to the Growth Plan Fund by central government. This fund builds large infrastructure projects designed to deliver economic growth (with no other considerations like health or environmental benefits). ...