Mayor announces over £5.2m for local transport improvements in Newham

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 £5.2m funding package in 2012/13 will finance a range of transport projects in Newham, including:

• £330,000 to improve journey times and safety for all users along Green Street, by the removal of a roundabout and zebra crossings and the introduction of traffic signals and a puffin crossing.  The scheme will also improve the streetscape and walking facilities, particularly through the resurfacing of footways, the removal of street clutter, and the introduction of trees wherever possible
• £275,000 to help reduce traffic dominance in Forest Gate Town Centre, including improvements to road safety, cycling and walking facilities, and signage. The works will also include the removal of old street furniture and the planting new trees wherever possible, to improve the streetscape, including making the area greener
• £20,000 for a Borough-wide Electric Vehicle Charging Point roll-out programme. Funds will facilitate an ongoing pilot study to identify areas of the borough that are most likely to take up electric vehicles and would therefore require on-street charging points

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 Newham it financed cycle training for 948 children and 144 adults,15 improved pedestrian crossings, the removal of 1,300 metres of guardrail, six new accessible bus stops, enabled 25 schools to participate in walking events and 73 in cycling events, 25 new off-street electric vehicle charging points and 400 new street trees.

Working in partnership

Notable larger projects undertaken in Newham this year include over £1.3m improvement to East Ham Town Centre to revitalise the area, as well as providing better lighting, widened pavements and CCTV cameras for improved safety ahead of the 2012 Games.

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: