Mayor's funding boost for local transport improvements in Tower Hamlets

Tower Hamlets receives funding from TfL each year as part of the Local Implementation Plan (LIP) allocated to the London boroughs to fund local projects which support the Mayor's Transport Strategy. 

These include improvements to local town centres and public spaces, new cycling facilities, safer roads and measures to smooth traffic flow.

Today's funding announcement of £3.4m for Tower Hamlets will mean the vast majority of the borough's proposed schemes for 2011/12 will be delivered. 

To support this, the Mayor has given greater flexibility to the borough so that it can prioritise projects according to local need. 
 
Following the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review, the funding allocated to London boroughs will fall over the next three years to reflect the reduced grant TfL receives from the Department for Transport. 

However, the funding for programmes such as road maintenance, bridge strengthening, major schemes and the borough discretionary fund have all been safeguarded. 

Funding to benefit all Londoners, is also being made available for modernising traffic signals and partnership initiatives such as completion of the London Strategic Walking Network.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: 'This funding will allow the boroughs to make real improvements to town centres, provide better cycling facilities and make roads safer across the Capital.

'I'm especially pleased we have been able to cut the red tape that used to surround these schemes and give the boroughs more freedom to choose how they want to spend money to improve their local communities.'

Tower Hamlets has been developing proposals on a number of schemes it will be financing from the funding package, including:

• £75,000 to implement the outcomes of a traffic management review including existing traffic restrictions and calming in Bow. The project aims to provide access to local businesses and good linkage to the 2012 Olympic Park and to support the wider regeneration of the area after the 2012 Olympic Games
  
• £135,000 to implement pedestrian signs, including signs to make it easier and quicker to walk to the 2012 Olympic key centres in the borough and connecting to four other Olympic boroughs
  
• £500,000 to transform St Pauls Way.  Improvements include better lighting, street de-cluttering, guardrail removal, tree planting and widening footpaths as well as reduced carriageway width, traffic calming, and levelling road surfaces to pavement level at side roads to make it easier for people using wheelchairs or those with buggies as well as to encourage lower vehicle speeds. Other works will include making bus stops and pedestrian crossings more accessible, and the creation of shared space which will improve access to local shops as part of a major transformational neighbourhood project

London's Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy, said: 'Delivering the Mayor's vision for transport in London is an ambitious task and it is essential we work in partnership with the London boroughs to make it happen.

'This investment will play a significant role in continuing to improve transport across the Capital.'
 

• Each borough produces a LIP to demonstrate how they plan to implement the Mayor's Transport Strategy locally. While TfL allocate funding for individual schemes, the LIP and delivery of individual projects is the responsibility of each borough
• Following the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review, the funding allocated to London boroughs will be reduced over the next three years to reflect the reduced grant TfL receives from the Department for Transport. It will fall by £4m (-3%) in 2011/12, £8m (-5%) in 2012/13 and £18m (-12%) in 2013/14
• A detailed breakdown of funding for bridge strengthening projects (£7m) will be finalised in February 2011 which will be allocated to the bridges in most need of work
• Total allocation by programme area: