Mayor announces more than £2.6m for local transport improvements in Hackney

The funding has been allocated by Transport for London (TfL) through the Local Implementation Plan (LIP) process and is awarded to the borough to spend on projects that support the Mayor's Transport Strategy, including safer roads, smoothing traffic flow, rejuvenating town centres and better facilities for cycling and walking.

The £2.6m funding package in 2012/13 will finance a range of transport projects in Hackney, including:

• £250,000 to improve safety and visibility of the junctions at the Hackney Road and Cremer Road to the A10
• £250,000 to improve Mare Street, from St Thomas's Square to Victoria Park Road
• £250,000 for Leonard Circus and Paul Street. The money will be used to redesign the existing junction to provide better access to all road users and pedestrians, to improve the area for residents and businesses

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: 'London is undergoing a neo-Victorian level of investment in its transport network. 

'Every London borough is receiving money that will directly benefit communities, making London an even better place to live and work. 

'We've also cut bureaucracy to make it easier for the boroughs to decide how they want to spend their funding.'

The LIP funds hundreds of large- and small-scale transport projects every year. 

Last year in Hackney it financed 75 cycle parking spaces, cycle training for 749 children and 415 adults, 35 new accessible bus stops, enabled 27 schools to participate in walking events and 28 in cycling events, three new off-street electric vehicle charging points and 88 new street trees.

Notable larger projects undertaken in Hackney include the Kingsland High Street project which will be completed in spring 2012 as part of the Mayor's Great Outdoors programme. 

This received £1.3m LIP funding to make Kingsland High Street a much improved environment with better conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and other users, together with more trees and enhanced lighting.

London's Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy said: 'Year on year the boroughs continue to deliver innovative projects that support the Mayor's vision for transport in the Capital. 

'This investment will build on the excellent work that has already been achieved and complement the huge programme of work we at TfL are undertaking to make his vision a reality through working in partnership with the boroughs.'

The funding was previously forecast to reduce year on year to reflect the reduced general grant TfL receives from the Department for Transport. 

However, because of the importance of the boroughs in delivering the priorities of Mayor's Transport Strategy, the funding has been kept at a consistent level to 2013/14.

Notes to editors:

• Each borough produces a LIP to demonstrate how they plan to implement the Mayor's Transport Strategy locally. While TfL allocates funding for individual schemes, the LIP and delivery of individual projects is the responsibility of each borough
• A detailed breakdown of funding for bridge strengthening projects (£5.3m), which will be allocated to the bridges in most need of work will be announced in the New Year
•  Total allocation by programme area:

• About Mayor of London's Great Outdoors: 'London's Great Outdoors - A Manifesto for Public Space' is supported by two practical guides, 'Better Streets' and 'Better Green and Water Spaces'. Together they set out the Mayor of London's vision for improving public spaces in London.  This will ensure that our streets, squares, parks and green and water spaces are fit for a great world city, are enjoyed by everyone who visits them and most importantly, help improve the quality of life in the Capital. They are accompanied by an implementation plan that will see £355 million invested in over 80 public realm improvement projects between 2009 and 2012 Games, funding for which comes from Transport for London, The London Development Agency and London's boroughs as well as other sources. The measures include redesigned streets, which can be shared by both the pedestrians and vehicles and reclaimed derelict green spaces and underused waterways. The manifesto and guides have been written and produced by the Greater London Authority, London Development Agency, Design for London and TfL.  For further information please go to www.london.gov.uk/greatoutdoors