The government has granted just over £4.3m to Plymouth City Council to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in the city. Of the six road fatalities in Plymouth in 2024, four were pedestrians and of the 524 road casualties in that year 90 were pedestrians and 51 cyclists, says Rayo.

Up to £500,000 will be used to deliver cycle safety improvements to the roundabout east of Stonehouse Bridge, a junction which has the worst record for pedestrian and cyclist road traffic collisions in the city. 

Among other schemes to be funded will be “a missing link” at Ponsonby Road/Alma Road to Central Park, connecting with the previous improvements at Somerset Place. This project has been in the pipeline and on the council’s capital programme of over 300 projects but has been awaiting external funds. The council says it will provide an important final connection to Central Park.  

Council reports say a lack of adequate cycle parking provision in the city can be seen as discouraging residents from choosing cycling as a mode of transport. 

Leader of the council Tudor Evans accepted the funding offer and allocated it to the capital programme under delegated powers.

Some £3.519m of capital funding will be used to deliver projects over four years and £828,000 of revenue funding will be used to develop future schemes; remove barriers to active travel; maintain existing routes and encourage road safety behaviour change.

By 2035, the government wants walking, wheeling and cycling to be a safe, easy and accessible option for everyone – allowing people to embed the economic, health and environmental benefits of active travel into their daily life if they choose.

(Picture: Chris Snape)