Mayor confirms £3.3m for local transport improvements in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

The Mayor of London today confirmed £3.3m for Kingston upon Thames to spend on local transport improvements during 2010/11, including £780,000 for essential road maintenance and £600,000 for major schemes. 

Kingston upon Thames has been developing proposals for a number of schemes that it will be financing with the funding package, including:

• £50,000 for improvements to the Ancient Market Place to improve the public realm and pedestrian access to Kingston town centre
• £220,000 for improvements to the A2043 Malden Road/Fountain Roundabout and Kingston Road/Burlington Road, including measures to reduce the number of road traffic casualties
• £50,000 for the final phase of walking and cycling improvements on the Red Lion Road
• £111,000 for the continuation of the council's programme of cycle training to students in Years 5 and 6, and to meet an annual target of 1,200 trainees
• £200,000 towards design works for improvements to the public realm of Tolworth Broadway, with measures being considered including better crossing facilities, crossing points, more accessible bus stops, improved lighting and renewed paving

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: 'Even in these tough economic times I am committed to providing this funding to all of London's boroughs.

'The investment means that across the Capital, town centres and public spaces are being overhauled, cycling and walking facilities are being improved, and roads are being made safer.

'We have cut red tape to make it easier for borough councils to choose the local transport projects that benefit their residents the most, simplifying the funding system and working together to give local people the improvements they want.

Fairer funding formulas

'This time we're also giving an extra focus to cycling - helping to provide the training, cycle parking, and maintenance knowhow to support the introduction of the first two Cycle Superhighways next year.'

Funding for local schemes is allocated each year by Transport for London (TfL).  

The Mayor has simplified the system - reducing the number of funding streams from 23 to five, and introducing fairer funding formulas where needed. 

London's Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy, said: 'Kingston upon Thames has identified a range of small and large scale projects that will make a real difference to local people by improving town centres and public spaces, reducing the number of collisions on our roads, improving the environment and promoting greener forms of travel. 

'Kingston upon Thames also has the flexibility to move certain funding between projects if, during the course of the year, they find more or less funding is needed for individual schemes.'

Notes to editors:

• Each borough produces a Local Implementation Plan (LIP) to demonstrate how they plan to implement the Mayor's Transport Strategy locally
• While TfL allocated funding for individual schemes, the LIP and delivery of individual projects is the responsibility of each borough
• In addition to the usual borough allocation, TfL has included £100,000 for each of the boroughs to spend locally on transport as they choose
• Below is a table with a breakdown of LIP funding for Kingston upon Thames: