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National Cycle Network receives increased funding

Posted: 5 September 2019 | | No comments yet

New government-funded cycling routes have been revealed across England with a hope of improving air quality, road congestion and public health.

Active Travel England established to create safer streets for cycling

The UK Government has pledged to invest £20 million for the creation of 22 new cycling routes.

Cycling Minister Chris Heaton-Harris revealed the upgraded routes for the National Cycle Network which include new routes, better quality of surfacing and improved links to other transport modes. The funding aims to reduce road congestion, ensure the safety of road junctions, improve road signage and create more accessible paths.  

The scheme follows 10 existing projects to upgrade the National Cycle Network, which spans more than 16,000 miles of on- and off-road cycling and walking paths. The scheme already helps almost 4.5 million people make car-free journeys each year

Chris Heaton-Harris, Cycling Minister, said: “This funding will put the right infrastructure in place, so people can enjoy new routes on foot or by bike, supporting the government’s ambition for cycling and walking to become the natural choice for shorter journeys by 2040.”

While the funding will be used to improve the quality of existing sections of the network, the projects will also improve integration with existing infrastructure. For example, cycle routes around High Speed Two (HS2) in areas including Sheffield, Doncaster and Buckinghamshire will see improved connectivity and safer off-road routes.

The cycling and walking investment strategy, published in 2017, sets out the government’s plan for active travel. Almost £2 billion is projected to be invested over this Spending Review period in cycling and walking between 2016/17 and 2020/21, and investment per head has increased three-fold since 2010.