Town could receive £49m worth of transport improvements

The Transforming Cities Funding bid, includes up to £49.4m worth of transport improvement schemes worked up by Doncaster Council.

A new ‘Don corridor’ will create active travel routes and improved public transport from the west of the borough through the town centre, to the Unity development area at Hatfield and to Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

As well as local enhancements, they would contribute to improving connections across the borough and wider region.

The Doncaster schemes would be part of a £220m Sheffield City Region Transforming Cities Funding bid, which would see significant improvements in rail, public transport and active travel schemes across the region.

The funding will help reduce journey times, improve punctuality and reliability of public transport, and bring about a wide range of benefits associated with active travel.

Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster, said: “We are determined to invest in schemes which help residents get to and from places across our borough. These schemes are to improve public transport for residents and communities, support job creation and deliver economic growth.

“We also want to invest in our active travel network by enhancing existing or creating new cycling and walking routes.

“This would enable more people to travel in a more active way, delivering health and wellbeing benefits and leading to better air quality. It would also help support our Climate and Biodiversity Emergency agenda and our ambition for Doncaster to become carbon neutral.”

Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, said: “It is critical that we improve the transport system in our region, to create better access to jobs, and a safe, reliable and affordable transport network that is fit for the 21st century.

“That’s why it is so important we get our full allocation of this funding and why we have been working with partners, including Doncaster Council to ensure our bid has the potential to drive transformational change for all our communities.”

The Doncaster projects included in the bid are designed to improve access to local railway stations, offer better connections to key employment sites, enhance the transport network in the town centre, reduce bus journey times on key corridors and develop cycling and walking routes across the Don corridor.

Mayor Ros and her cabinet will consider the report on Tuesday 15 October 2019. More detail can be found at: Cabinet Agenda 

The Transforming Cities Bid will be submitted to the Department for Transport in November 2019, with scheme programmes expected to start in March 2020 and be complete by March 2023.