Nottingham City Council is expected to approve its acceptance of over £15m of new funding from the East Midlands Combined County Authority to fund projects in its Local Transport Programme.
Councillors will consider whether to formally accept the money at an Executive Board meeting on Tuesday 21 July.
The funding, from the Mayoral Transport Fund, which is funded by the Government, aims to drive growth and productivity through investment in integrated transport networks.
Spanning three years, the money will support various projects that connect communities safely and sustainably with work, leisure and education.
The funding will be used for:
£4.5 million – 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 – home 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 the whole scheme area, including the footpaths. Pedestrian improvements will include a new crossing near Oak Field School, improved crossings at key junctions, the renewal of road safety features, and improved visibility and priority at all side roads along the corridor.
£6 million – 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 ensure everyone can get around our city 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.
£3 million – Mobility Hubs
Six mobility hubs are already in place in neighbourhoods around the city at Percy Street (Old Basford), Lambourne Drive (Wollaton), Dales Centre Library (Sneinton), Bulwell Station (Bulwell), Winchester Street (Sherwood), and the Bridgeway Centre (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.
£2 million – Revenue funding for development work
This revenue funding will be used to develop the next phase of work around Maid Marian Way and 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, the 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 the Western Outer Loop Road.
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 the continued delivery of the city’s highway maintenance programme, community and neighbourhood improvements, the Streets for People programme, and road safety improvements.
Councillor Patience Ifediora, Executive Member for Regional Development, Growth and Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “This welcome funding will make a big difference to the everyday lives of our residents and visitors, making it easier and safer to get around the city, 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.”
Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said: “The £15 million 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 by 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.”