Trials of e-scooters and e-bikes, plus improvements to traffic information and ticketing, have moved a step forward following the award of a £16.7m Government grant.
Nottingham City Council has been successful in bidding for the grant money from the Department for Transport (DfT), and it will now be invested in joint projects with Derby to improve connectivity and further encourage use of public transport.
The cash has come from the DfT’s Future Mobility Strategy, which set aside £70m for the 18 Transforming City fund regions, including Nottingham and Derby, to bid for. It will see the creation of four Future Transport Zones around the country.
The area’s longstanding reputation for delivery of innovative, integrated transport schemes was seen as key to the success of the Nottingham and Derby bid.
It was focused on three key areas:
– Creating electric mobility ‘hubs’: there will be three types – neighbourhoods, campuses and depots. Each will aim to encourage the take-up of alternative travel methods and offer electric car club hire, electric bike sharing, vehicle charging points, digital information screens and real-time public transport information.
– New website and smartphone app: this will allow users to plan for, book and pay for trips on public transport, plus bike hire, car share, taxi journeys, car parking and vehicle charging. The platform will also allow discounts and bundles to reward and incentivise trips.
– Data platform: this will pool various transport data sources owned and collected by the Council into a single place. It will be used to provide a complete picture across the network to improve the efficiency of the traffic control centre and keep commuters informed of the latest information.
There will also be the opportunity to trial new and innovative modes of transport such as autonomous (self-driving) vehicles, e-bikes and e-scooters to investigate how they could safely, and sustainably, be incorporated into Nottingham’s established networks of roads and cycle lanes.
Councillor Adele Williams, Portfolio Holder for Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “This is exciting news and yet another example of how good we are at bidding for this type of grant to improve local transport options. As ever, we were up against a number of other bids from right across the country.
“It is a significant amount of money for Nottingham and Derby, and we have innovative plans in both cities. Here in Nottingham, we’re going to improve traffic information to help commuters and motorists navigate their way around, while at the same time helping our traffic control officers to manage traffic better.
“A new website and app will bring together in one place all the different ways to get around the city by public transport, electric car and bus hire, as well as paying for parking.
“We also plan to create a number of hubs around Nottingham where people will be able to hire electric cars and bikes, as well as join car clubs, and have access to charging points.
“These plans underline how forward-thinking Nottingham is and will help us to achieve our ambitious target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2028 – ahead of any other city in the country.”