Leicester awarded nearly £400,000 funding for walking and cycling schemes

Credit: Leicester City Council

Leicester City Council has announced that it has been awarded £396,000 funding by Active Travel England – an agency of the Department for Transport – from its Capability Fund to help make it easier for people to cycle and walk around the city.

This funding boost means that the city council will be able to invest in a range of active travel initiatives, including:

• Developing a local plan of cycling and walking infrastructure so that it’s all joined up, contributing to the ongoing development of a city-wide walking and cycling network
• Training staff in accessibility standards so that cycling and walking schemes are user-friendly for as wide a range of people as possible, including people with disabilities
• Encouraging people to try walking or cycling by putting on community events, offering guided cycle rides and holding the annual Walk Leicester festival.

The Capability Fund will support local authorities across the country to train and retain local engineers and planners, creating a skilled active travel workforce that will be able to collaborate effectively with local communities and conduct high-quality engagement and consultation sessions.

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Deputy City Mayor for Transport, Clean Air and the Climate Emergency, Councillor Adam Clarke, said: “We know that people want to choose active travel options more often, but it needs to be safe, easy and practical for them to do so. This money will enable us to work with more schools and community groups and put on more events, so that we can promote use of the extensive network of safe and attractive routes we already have in the city. It also means we can improve the next generation of cycling and walking schemes by training our staff in design and accessibility standards.”

National Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman, said: “If we want millions more people to walk, wheel and cycle to schools, shops and workplaces, we need to give them what they need to make the switch. Delivering schemes that offer an attractive choice takes technical skill, local knowledge and community involvement. Survey after survey has shown people want the choice to be able to use the car a bit less and would love their kids to have more transport independence, so we aim to ensure they are at the heart of creating the right solution for their area.”