Cycling groups to have a say on improvements

QUOTE:
CYCLE trails and footpaths are set to be improved across North Yorkshire and interested groups are being asked what they want to see.

Cycling and walking groups across the county are being invited to rate the travel schemes that have been put forward following an appeal to the public by the County Council.

The council asked organisations and individuals to suggest improvements to cycling and walking infrastructure as it prepared to bid for up to £1.06m in the second tranche of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Emergency Active Travel Fund.

The authority received about 35 requests for active travel schemes from all over the county.

Its highway teams have been assessing the requests to understand the delivery and feasibility of each scheme.

As soon as this is done, the council will share details with appropriate groups across the county and ask them to rank schemes from highest to lowest priority. The groups’ responses will be considered as the council prepares its funding bid.

David Bowe, corporate director of business and environmental services, said: “Regardless of the DfT decision, we know that what we are doing is vital in helping to maintain and stimulate the recovery of the local economy, so we are pressing ahead with all the proposals that are in our bid.

“The focus of our first tranche bid was the temporary measures we have already put in place to enable people to visit town centres safely so that they can support reopening local businesses and to travel confidently on foot or by bicycle wherever possible.

"We will continue to fund and maintain these temporary measures through the summer, as set out in our bid, even though we do not have the full funding allocation from the DfT.�

County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, added: “We are grateful for the suggestions that people have submitted from across the county."

Cllr Mackenzie added: "Some may be ruled out at this time as being too expensive or not feasible for other reasons, such as land constraints.
AD

"Certainly, it will not be possible to do everything with the relatively small amount of funding we will be able to bid for in the second tranche.

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/ne...ments/?ref=rss