Electric buses and ‘last mile’ cargo bikes are among the schemes included in Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s new £105m transport plan. The plan outlines how it intends to use the multi-year transport funding settlement it has received from government, with planned investment in roads and public transport, says the Stoke Sentinel.

The authority’s transport delivery plan includes £41.5m for highways maintenance up to 2030, £6.6m for minor road safety schemes and £12m for improvements to walking and cycling routes. There is also £10m allocated to the roll-out of electric buses and supporting infrastructure in Stoke-on-Trent, while £14.1m will be used to continue the existing affordable bus fares scheme.

A smaller scheme will see £105,000 spent on building a fleet of cargo bikes to give local businesses an alternative to using cars or vans for first or last mile deliveries.

Council leaders say the multi-year settlement – with £85.5m of capital funding up to 2030 and £19.5m of revenue funding up to 2029 – has allowed the authority to plan ahead, when previously it was constrained by annual funding announcements.

Cabinet members voted to approve the draft delivery plan, with the final version due to be submitted to government by September. Councillor Finlay Gordon McCusker, cabinet member for regeneration, told the cabinet meeting that the plan would be the ‘start of a new chapter for transport in Stoke-on-Trent’.

He said:

“For the first time in many years we’ve finally got a multi-year settlement for transport in the city. That is great news for everyone who drives a car, for everyone who takes a bus, for those who cycle. This is about getting the basics right for everyone, everything from highways maintenance and potholes, to putting money into buses.

(Picture: Mapillary)_