Hull City Council has approved grant funding allocations of more than £11m, aiming to deliver a series of improvements across the city’s key routes to promote and encourage cycling, and improve road safety.
The council has secured £8.757m from Active Travel England’s Active Travel Fund (ATF), in addition to £2.99m from the Department for Transport’s Safer Roads Fund.
The ATF allocation will deliver two off-road cycle schemes, which have already been approved by its cabinet, on Freetown Way and Preston Road.
In comparison, the Safer Roads Fund will go towards road safety improvements on the A165, though this is subject to cabinet approval and the awarding of contracts for design and construction.
Cllr Mark Ieronimo, portfolio holder for transportation, roads and highways, said: “We know from speaking to our residents and through the responses to last year’s Traffic and Travel Survey that improving and enhancing the city’s transport network is an important priority and, after a successful bid, we have secured the funding to deliver on this.”
According to Ieronimo, the survey showed that residents want the facilities needed to support a greater choice when it comes to travel options.
“The plans for Freetown Way, for example, will see the current road layout return to two lanes in each direction, in line with the views expressed in the survey, as well as the installation of new off-road cycle lanes, thereby better accommodating both cyclists and vehicles,” he added. “There will also be a range of pedestrian improvements.”
The acceptance of the funding was confirmed by the council and enables the three schemes to progress to their next stages, respectively, with the aim of works starting on-site in 2024 and being completed by spring 2025.