South Yorkshire to get £5 million for cycling and walking projects

The county will be allocated £5,461,550 from the Department for Transport (DfT) for a wide variety of active travel schemes.

These include ‘School Streets’, where streets around schools are closed to motorists at school times and low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), where residential side streets are closed to stop rat-running.

New segregated cycle lanes and pedestrian improvements are also expected in places across South Yorkshire.

For any new scheme proposed, councils across the county are expected to adhere to ‘strict consultation’ with local communities. Ministers said a small number of schemes in the first tranche of funding had ‘problems’.

Sheffield Council received a number of complaints from motorists after a pop-up cycle lane around the Shalesmoor/Kelham Island led to extra congestion at peak times.

Councils in turn will have more time to spend the money in order to properly consult, ministers have said.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “It has been great to see so many people build cycling and walking into their daily travel habits.

To support them, we know it’s vital to have the right infrastructure in place so everyone – cyclists, pedestrians and motorists – can use our roads.

“This funding will help further realise that ambition, but councils must engage with communities to develop schemes that work for everyone – those that haven’t won’t be able to take their plans forward.”

“As many of us have tried to avoid public transport in recent months, we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of people opting to walk or get on their bike when moving around.

“I’m delighted that Sheffield City Region will benefit from additional funding to make our local area more bike and pedestrian-friendly, while maintaining the access and space other road users still need.”

“This Conservative Government was elected on a promise to level up the whole country – and investment such as this into our local infrastructure shows we are delivering exactly that.”

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