The Welsh Government has announced an investment £38 million to help further support active travel.
This is the country’s largest ever investment in local active travel improvements and follows a £15.4 million fund already announced last month, the money will go towards projects that will support families getting to school and work by walking, cycling or scooting, safely.
Some of the work will include spending over £1.8 million linking Sketty and Mayals. Here, a cycling route will be built on the Mayals Road and there will be projects linking Sketty Park Estate with Olchfa Comprehensive School and Bishop Gore Comprehensive School. The Olchfa link which will provide access to a large area of Killay.
Elsewhere, in Cardiff, £2.7 million will be spent on continuous routes will be built that keep cars and people apart where needed will be built. There will be cycle routes, footpaths, junction improvements, new surfacing, route widening, crossings and 20mph speed limits.
Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, said: “The coronavirus pandemic has completely changed our lives. It stopped our daily routines in their tracks and has forced us all to live differently.
“Coronavirus has brought much hardship and tragedy. It has also presented us with a golden opportunity for change – one which I am determined to grasp with both hands.
“More people than ever before are walking and cycling to work, visit friends and pop to the shop. With fewer cars on the road, first-time cyclists have had the confidence to rent, borrow or buy a bike, rather than reaching for the car keys.
“However, as coronavirus restrictions ease and our roads become busier, it’s vital our roads remain walking and cycle-friendly if a long-term change to our travel habits is to succeed. That’s exactly what I hope the £38 million I’ve announced will achieve.
“This £38 million is a very significant investment in creating safe travel routes and better connections in our towns and cities, so people still have the confidence to cycle and walk around Wales even when our lives return to normal. I’m calling on local authority leaders to also seize this golden opportunity and work with their communities to develop schemes for the future that encourage more people to walk and cycle for everyday journeys.
“I want us to work together transform Wales’ travel habits and choose options which protect our environment and benefit our health.”
