North Yorkshire Council has been invited to submit a bid in the fourth round of the UK government’s Active Travel Fund.
This follows three rounds of funding for the council over the past three years.
In total, some £200m is available to English local authorities that wish to apply. It forms part of central government’s £2bn overall commitment to improve active travel measures and infrastructure across the country.
North Yorkshire has been allocated £1.08m in funding so far, but has been invited to bid for a further £2.16m.
Some of the key focuses of the council include improvements to public spaces, pedestrian crossings and segregated cycleways in Harrogate.
This, the council has said, would support the Transforming Cities Fund scheme to enhance the town’s rail and bus station gateways and use the full £1.08m of the tranche four funding. It would also require a further £492,000 from the remaining tranche two funds.
A second scheme requires £458,500 for active travel improvements on Darlington Road in Richmond, which includes a segregated cycle route, the provision of a 20mph speed limit and improved pedestrian crossings.
The third scheme on the A59 Maple Close from Harrogate to Knaresborough would cost £1.65m and involves placing segregated cycle lanes along an existing cycle route.
Keane Duncan, councillor and executive member for highways and transport, said: “We want to enable more people in North Yorkshire to have the option of safely and conveniently walking, wheeling and riding.
“Our latest bid, worth more than £3m, is another significant milestone in our efforts to deliver a more balanced approach to travel in the county, which will reduce emissions, cut congestion and promote healthier lifestyles.
“The new infrastructure in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Richmond would significantly improve road safety and unlock an estimated 579 additional walking and cycling trips per day.
“The bid builds on our efforts to encourage more sustainable travel, which in recent years has seen us secure more than £55m of central government funding.”
The local authority has been awarded £1.5m from Active Travel England since 2020 and an additional £54m of capital funding for landmark active travel improvements.
The executive member for highways and transport approved the submission of a bid for £3.19m yesterday [21 February].