Hampshire County Council has submitted a bid to Government for a further £3.45 million to help deliver a range of schemes including the redesigning of some of its roads and high streets to support social distancing, assist economic recovery and support people who want to continue walking and cycling more.
The projects that have been prioritised and included in the funding bid include: proposals for a new segregated cycleway on Brighton Way, Basingstoke, footway widening and traffic management on Old Lynchford Road and Camp Road in North Camp, Farnborough, and improvements to walking and cycling routes that connect to bus stops on the Eclipse Bus Rapid Transit corridor between Fareham and Gosport.
There are also plans to deliver side road crossing improvements to encourage walking and cycling along the A27 corridor between Fareham and Portchester including raised crossings, to slow traffic down, as the first stage of a more comprehensive package of improvements on this corridor.
The funding will also go towards helping maintain any new schemes implemented and to enable the County Council to undertake monitoring and evaluation of their impact. There will also be further improvements to high streets.
Proposals to transform neighbourhoods is also included in the bid these include purhasing a kit of moveable planters and temporary street furniture including replacing parking spaces with seating, greenery or bike racks which would be deployed for trial periods at different locations where the community want to see low traffic neighbourhoods introduced, measures for schools that support more active travel;
Councillor Rob Humby, Deputy Leader of Hampshire County Council and Executive Member for Economy, Transport and Environment, said: “Hampshire County Council submitted a successful bid earlier in the year for £863,000 for temporary pop-up measures to help people socially distance more easily. We have listened to feedback from residents and worked in partnership with, Town Councils, Parishes, and Borough and District Council colleagues to develop plans to change our towns and high streets and implement new schemes which encourage active travel such as walking and cycling.
“The Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we travel. Evidence indicates we are travelling more locally and cycling and walking more. We are making significantly fewer work journeys. This is a critical time to make changes to our high streets and roads to support a prosperous, healthy and green recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The outcome of the bid to the Emergency Active Travel Fund is expected to be announced by the Government in early autumn.
For more information about the bid visit: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/strategies/fundingbids
For more information about the range of temporary changes being made across the county support social distancing, assist economic recovery and support people who want to continue walking and cycling more, visit: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/hantscovidtravel
