We have been informed that our application for additional funding from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Emergency Active Travel Fund (Tranche 2) has been successful.
The government established the Fund in May to protect and increase transport services, improve infrastructure and help regenerate local economies after the coronavirus outbreak.
The council has been awarded £2.376m, its full allocation and the most to a unitary authority. This is in addition to the £663,000 we were awarded in June, which was used to install temporary cycle lanes on the A259, Old Shoreham Road, widen footways in parts of the city and other emergency transport measures.
This additional funding will be used to install additional travel and transport schemes, both temporary and permanent. You can see our funding application on our website.
In September, the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability (ETS) committee agreed that, subject to a successful funding bid, a special meeting of the committee would be held to agree the measures being taken forward and that meaningful consultation would take place so that residents and stakeholders and community groups could offer input into the process.
Amy Heley, chair of the ETS committee said: “I’m delighted that Government has approved the funding of new travel options in our city. We’ve been awarded this money to support safe, inclusive and sustainable travel for the city and I would like to thank council officers for their hard work in putting together the funding application.
“We want everyone, of all ages and abilities, to access safe travel in Brighton & Hove. By creating more transport choices for residents and visitors, we can also improve our health and wellbeing, reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality and support local businesses by making it possible for people to travel around the city in different ways.
“As we raised during the last meeting of the ETS committee, we will now be looking at next steps ahead of meaningful consultation with residents, equalities groups and local stakeholders on future plans, and I look forward to hearing their views on these important changes for our city.”
