Region’s cycle network secures £12.6m
The West Midlands will benefit from more safe cycling and walking routes following the award of £12.6m from Active Travel England.
The funding will enable Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and council partners to deliver ten new cycling and walking projects in Birmingham, Coventry, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
To launch Active Travel Fund 4 nationally, Transport Minister Jesse Norman MP visited Coventry’s Binley Cycleway to meet local residents and school children already benefiting from new cycling infrastructure.
New projects being funded include the following:
Wolverhampton Ring Road – expansion of safe cycle route £2.6m
Cycle safety measures around Coventry city centre £2.3m
Moseley Cycle Spur – cycle link on Alcester Road between Chantry Road and St Mary’s Row £780,000
Cycle route from Rose Hill to Pinson Road in Walsall £2.85m
Connection linking New Century Park development in Coventry to the Binley Road Cycleway £550,000
Extension of the completed Coundon Cycle Route in Coventry to serve the new developments at Keresley £2.2m
Further £680,000 funding to support development of active travel measures in Birmingham City Centre and a secure bike hangars scheme.
Construction on these projects must start by the end of March 2024.
This is the region’s fourth allocation from the Active Travel Fund (ATF). TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), has previously secured grants totalling almost £34m since 2020 which has been used to implement a wide range of safe cycle and walking schemes including bike parking, safe cycle lanes and provide cycle training for communities. This is in addition to £1.05bn funding from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), which is concentrated on sustainable modes including improvements for active and public transport.
Among them is the Binley Cycleway in Coventry, which has been part funded through the second round of ATF, and when fully completed will link the city centre to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire. Work is well progressed with about two-thirds of the route open to the public.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chair, said: “Over recent years we have invested heavily in our active travel infrastructure, through schemes such as Binley Cycleway and West Midlands Cycle Hire. This is because we know that many more people will cycle if it is safer and more convenient for them to do so.
“We need to build a comprehensive network and this funding helps us continue this work. We want more people to choose active travel because it is better for the environment, can help reduce traffic congestion and it’s great for both our physical and mental health. And this new funding means that, along with our council partners, we can deliver infrastructure to make it even easier for people to choose active travel.”
