Mayor invests £220m in boroughs to make streets greener, healthier and safer
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced £220m funding for boroughs to deliver transport, town centre and public space improvements to improve the lives of Londoners.
The funding will be used by boroughs across the Capital for a wide range of projects to reduce dangers on the roads, transform local areas, encourage cycling and walking and improve air quality.
Transport for London (TfL) will invest £148m in Local Implementation Plans that support the Mayor's Transport Strategy, as well as a further £70m for other schemes, including funding for strategic walking and cycling programmes such as Quietways, Mini-Hollands and Liveable Neighbourhoods. This will be key to delivering the Mayor's Healthy Streets vision of a city that is more pleasant to live and move around in.
Each of London's 33 boroughs benefits from the funding, with more than £1bn to be invested across TfL's Business Plan to 2021/22, in which the Mayor announced record levels of investment to make cycling easier and safer, including support for borough cycling schemes, and improve the capital's air quality.
This year's Local Implementation Plan funding includes:
- Camden - £6.7m, including £4.3m for the first phase of delivering two-way traffic on Tottenham Court Road, Gower Street and Bloomsbury Street, and new public spaces, including central London's first new park for 100 years, at Alfred Place. The scheme will provide a bus-and-cycle-only route on Tottenham Court Road during the day, segregated cycle lanes on Gower Street and public realm improvements across the Tottenham Court Road area, in advance of the Elizabeth line opening in 2018;
- Westminster - £3.6m, including £200,000 to develop cycling, walking, bus and public realm proposals to transform the Strand and Aldwych area in partnership with the NorthBank BID. Work is underway with Westminster on improved facilities for walking, cycling and buses in Baker Street and Gloucester Place and public realm improvements in the Bond Street area;
- Hounslow - £2.6m, including £120,000 for a new shared-use Greenways route alongside the Longford River linking Hanworth Park to Feltham Town Centre;
- City of London - £1m, including £380,000 to improve safety around areas and junctions prone to accidents, such as Puddle Dock, the junction of New Change with Cannon Street, the area of West Smithfield and the junction of Holborn Viaduct with Snow Hill;
- Havering - £2.3m, including £250,000 for Romford Market Place and a new market building. This will involve public realm works, re-paving, tree planting and the introduction of play equipment for children;
- Croydon - £2.9m, including £750,000 for public realm improvements in South Norwood town centre such as widening and decluttering footways and cycle paths to enhance pedestrian and cyclist accessibility and experience;
- Lambeth - £3.8m, including £789,000 to carry out works at Norwood Road to make walking and cycling safer, more attractive and more convenient ways to travel for residents and visitors;
- Bexley - £1.9m, including £500,000 for safety measures to reduce the number of collisions in the borough, in particular safety issues around schools including parking enforcement.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: `I'm proud that through the new TfL Business Plan we are creating a modern and affordable transport network for the capital, and am delighted that we are able to invest an increased level of funding across the boroughs next year too. By making walking and cycling easier and safer, and funding projects that will improve air quality, we can help boroughs right across the capital to deliver transport and public space improvements that are going to make a real difference to the lives of Londoners.'
Councillor Julian Bell, Chair of London Councils Transport & Environment Committee, said: `London's boroughs welcome this long term settlement by the Mayor of London, which will assist in making borough streets greener and safer. It provides a much needed firm base from which to work with the Mayor and TfL to deliver the improvements to London's local transport scene as part of a city for all Londoners.'
The Mayor and TfL will also work closely with boroughs in the New Year on a stronger offer of support to deliver the projects, and a review of where they are targeted to ensure they are delivered where they are most needed.
London's Transport Commissioner, Mike Brown, said: `We will work closer than ever before with all London boroughs to ensure London remains a world-class city with more attractive, accessible and people-friendly streets. Through this funding, Londoners will see real improvements to their local areas, through safer streets, improved public areas, more reliable public transport and increased walking and cycling facilities.'
Other Mayor and TfL-funded borough projects to improve air quality, cycling and bus reliability include:
- Waltham Forest's Green Courier Scheme - £400,000 over three years from the Mayor's Air Quality Fund to set up a zero-emission courier scheme in the borough, using cargo bikes and electric vehicles. The scheme complements the boroughs Mini Hollands programme;
- The City of London - £127,000 over three years for a campaign against car idling through a consortium of 10 boroughs;
- Putney High Street - £105,000 over three years to improve air quality along Putney High Street in Wandsworth, which includes community engagement and freight delivery reviews.
Support will also be given to boroughs from TfL's Crossrail Complementary Measures funding programme for schemes to improve the interchange and urban realm outside Crossrail stations in outer London.
Projects include:
- Bexley - £1.2m towards measures to improve safety and access for pedestrians and cyclists to the new station entrance on Harrow Manor Way at Abbey Wood;
- Newham - £1.1m towards works around Forest Gate station to improve safety, increase the attractiveness of the streets and for cycling and walking measures.
ENDS
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 Transport for London allocates funding for individual schemes, the LIP and delivery of individual projects is the responsibility of each borough.
The overall 2017/18 core LIPs and other programmes budget of £221.1million is allocated as follows:
- £73.9m is allocated for Corridors and Neighbourhoods
- £22.9m is allocated to Major Schemes
- £11m is awarded for Bridge Strengthening
- £11.1m is allocated for Traffic Signal Modernisation for sites across London
- £4.2m is allocated for apprenticeships, staff training and support for partnerships
- £20m is allocated for Principal Road Maintenance based on condition surveys (of which £1m will be held for Principal Road Maintenance emergency works and condition surveys)
- £17.1m is awarded to Bus Priority
- £40.2m is awarded to Borough Cycling
- £16.5m to support air quality and public transport improvements
- £4.5m is allocated for a new Healthy Routes programme, where TfL will work with the boroughs to create healthier routes to schools and local attractions including; cycle parking and 20 mph limits and zones
- £2.2m to Pedestrian Town Centres
- £2m to Mayor's Air Quality Fund
- £10.9m to Crossrail Complementary Measures
- £0.9m to Bus Priority Enabling Works
- £0.5m to Bus Stop Accessibility
The overall 2017/18 core LIPs and other programmes budget of £221.1million is an increase from £197m in 2016/17.
More information on the Local Implementation Plans - https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/boroughs/local-implementation-plans