Funding boost for cycling and walking provision in North Yorkshire

Cycling and walking provision in North Yorkshire has been given a boost, with further funding from the Government hailed as a “vital step” on the county’s journey to encourage more people to travel on foot or by bicycle.

North Yorkshire County Council has today (Tuesday 10th January) accepted a £220,780 grant from Active Travel England’s Capability and Ambition Fund, which is supporting local authorities to build expertise, boost their capabilities to plan active travel infrastructure and support people to change the way they travel.

The grant will be used to fund detailed designs for a new cycleway connecting Selby and Brayton, new sensors to collect vital data to inform plans for future infrastructure and initiatives to encourage more people to switch from the car.

So far, North Yorkshire has received more than £1.5 million of Active Travel England funding since 2020, plus an additional £54m in capital funding to deliver landmark projects across the county, including in Harrogate, Selby, Skipton, Scarborough and Whitby.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for highways and transportation, Cllr Keane Duncan, said: “We are committed to supporting the shift towards active modes of travel, such as walking and cycling, in all parts of North Yorkshire.

“The latest funding recognises our ambitions and is a vital step on our journey towards delivering a much more balanced approach to travel for our residents, reducing emissions, cutting congestion and promoting healthier lifestyles.

“As a council we have leveraged significant funding for active travel in recent years, including £1.5m from Active Travel England and an additional £54m of funding for landmark active travel improvements such as the Transforming Cities Fund projects in Harrogate, Skipton and Selby stations and the Scarborough and Whitby Town Deals.”

The latest funding comes in the wake of previous successful bids from the authority after the Government announced in July 2020 that £2 billion would be available for walking and cycling projects nationally over the course of the current Parliament.

North Yorkshire County Council says its share of the Government’s £32.9m Capability and Ambition Fund will deliver three key outcomes:

1. Detailed designs for the local cycling and walking infrastructure plan (LCWIP) for the Brayton to Selby corridor, with a route connecting Brayton to both Selby town centre and the rail station. This corridor connects potential growth sites and links existing employers and education facilities, a hospital and shops as well as the rail and bus stations. The plan would link to the Transforming Cities Fund project to enhance the station gateway in Selby and would encourage trips from a new residential development.

2. New traffic sensors to collect data and evidence to identify schemes, assess their impact and develop business cases. The three sensors will be capable of gathering accurate count data on walking and cycling, enabling behavioural trends and interactions with other modes of transport to be identified.

3. Initiatives to encourage people to change the way they travel, including cycle training, work with schools and businesses to help them to plan travel within their organisations, and communications to motivate people to use existing, new and planned cycling and walking infrastructure across North Yorkshire.

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