Nottingham City Council is expected to approve its acceptance of over £15 million of new funding from the East Midlands Combined County Authority to fund projects in its Local Transport Programme.  Councillors will consider whether to formally accept the money at an Executive Board meeting on Tuesday 21 July.

The funding, from the Mayoral Transport Fund, which is funded by Government, aims to drive growth and productivity through investment in integrated transport networks. Spanning three years, the money will support various projects that connect communities safely and sustainably with work, leisure and education.

The funding will be used for a variety of transport-related projects, including:

£4.5million – Continued active travel improvements from the existing Wigman Road scheme to Harvey Hadden

A second phase of the popular Wigman Road active travel corridor will connect communities safely with Harvey Hadden Sports Village – host to 60k users a month and regular cycle training activities – with Bilborough and onward routes via National Cycle Route 6. The scheme will benefit all road users including pedestrians, cyclists and motorists through a ‘whole street approach’.

This means the Council will improve whole scheme area, including the footpaths. Pedestrian improvements will be introduced including a new crossing near Oakfield school, improved crossings at key junctions, renewal of road safety features and improved visibility and priority at all side roads along the corridor.

£3million – Mobility Hubs

Six mobility hubs are already in place in neighbourhoods around the city at Percy Street (Old Basford), Lambourne Drive (Wollaton), Dales Centre Library (Sneinton), Bulwell Station (Bulwell), Winchester Street (Sherwood), and the Bridgeway Centre (The Meadows).

Located alongside traditional forms of transport close to bus or tram stops, the hubs bring together different modes of shared and sustainable transport, with the aim of boosting the use of transport services by providing improved connectivity and accessibility between different transport modes. This funding will enable the introduction of more hubs over the next three years.

This new funding comes after Nottingham City Council also received £17.6m of transport funding from EMCCA which was approved at its April Executive Board meeting. That funding is already being utilised for for the continued delivery of the city’s highway maintenance programme, community and neighbourhood improvements, the Streets for People programme and road safety improvements.

Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward said: “The £15million investment shows the real difference devolution can make when decisions are taken closer to the people and places they affect.

“Whether travelling to work, school, appointments or for leisure, high-quality transport networks open up opportunities for residents of the East Midlands and help our towns and cities to grow sustainably.

“By working together with Nottingham City Council, we are delivering real, visible changes to daily life, whether expanding the popular cycle route along Wigman Road, upgrading local footpaths or introducing new mobility hubs to make it easier to switch between different types of transport. This is how we build a stronger, greener and better-connected region for eve

(Pictures: Transport Nottingham)