Mayor confirms £4.5m for local transport improvements in Lewisham

The Mayor of London today confirmed £4.5m for Lewisham to spend on local transport improvements during 2010/11, including £375,000 for essential road maintenance and £950,000 for major schemes. 

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

• £142,000 for the continued support of the Deptford and New Cross regeneration project. The proposals include improvements to the Local Cycle Network plus (LCN+) better signage for pedestrians (Legible Lewisham)
• £145,000 to provide cycle training for adults and children in the borough
• £90,000 to rebuild the Downham Fields entrance steps to complement works already undertaken to the path within the park and encourage walking by making the park more accessible
• £330,000 to replace the decking on the Sydenham footbridge which provides an vital connection for pedestrians between Inglemere Road and Sydenham Park
• £92,000 for a range of targeted initiatives to support and encourage independent and safer travel including campaigns highlighting the dangers of driving and fatigue, drink, drugs and mobile phone use
• £900,000 towards improvements to Sydenham Town Centre. The borough's proposals incorporate public realm improvements with improved crossings,  better lighting, paving and measures to improve safety and security

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: 'Lewisham 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. 

'Lewisham 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 Lewisham: