£2.2m cycling and walking boost for Yorkshire

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has won £2.2m of government funding to support cycling and walking in York and Kirklees.

The money will come from the small schemes section of the government’s £1.28bn Transforming Cities Fund, which has been made available to 12 areas to support public transport improvements.

A project to improve cycling and walking access at Dewsbury and Huddersfield rail stations through improved information displays, safety measures and other enhancements was awarded £1.9m. TransPennine Express will provide match-funding to support the Dewsbury scheme.

In York, £300,000 will be used to deliver improved cycle routes connected to Scarborough Bridge, which is currently being replaced in a project supported by the Combined Authority.

Cllr Kim Groves, chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, said:

‘Today’s announcement is welcome news for Kirklees and York, building on our significant investment to support cycling and walking across the region.

‘We are finalising a compelling case for a substantial share of the next round of the Transforming Cities Fund and hope the Government recognises and supports our ambition.’

In related news, Leicester City Council were earlier this week given almost £8m from the Fund to spend on its flagship green transport schemes.

Supported by funding from the city council and its partners, the £7.8m grant will allow Leicester to embark on two major transport projects, centred around creating an extensive cycling network and giving one of the city’s Park and Ride routes a new fleet of electric buses.

£6.25m of the funding will be used to develop a network of walking and cycling links in Leicester which will connect the city centre with destinations such as Leicester University, Leicester Royal Infirmary and the National Space Centre.

A new £500,000 public bike hire scheme — set to be up and running later this year — will form part of this project, with 500 bikes to be made available to hire from 50 docking stations around Leicester.