Oxfordshire is to benefit from £2.384 million awarded by Active Travel England – the UK government agency responsible for making walking, wheeling and cycling the preferred choice for everyone to get around in England.

The funding has been awarded as part of the fourth phase of the active travel bidding process (active travel tranche 4). Oxfordshire County Council has previously been awarded grants of £600,000 from phase one, £2.98m from phase two and £10.4m from phase three. 

As with previous active travel awards, the money is to be invested in supporting specific projects intended to improve walking and cycling infrastructure in the county. 

Bill Cotton, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director for Environment and Place, said: “Active travel is essential to help us tackle traffic congestion and air quality across the county, and to make it a natural first choice for short journeys. We must make it work for people. We are committed to transforming people’s options for how they can get around in Oxfordshire without having to rely on private car journeys, and making walking or wheeling and cycling easy, safe and accessible for everyone.

“We have worked closely with local people and partner authorities to identify and plan for these improvements and I am delighted that we can now focus on delivering them so that everyone can benefit from them.”

Active Travel England and the county council have agreed that the funding is to be provided to support delivery of the following proposals and projects:

• Abingdon – Improvements to cycle ways in the heart of the town between Bridge Street and St Helen’s Wharf joining up the gap in National Cycle Network Route 5. This project is developed in partnership with national charity Sustrans.
• Witney – Improve the surface and lighting of the path running from Oxford Hill to Madley Park, a key part of a longer east-west route across Witney. Seating and wayfinding signage will also be provided along the path.
• Countywide – additional investment in delivering the ongoing school streets programme so that it can be implemented with more schools who would like to benefit from a school street.
• Countywide – provision of secure cycle parking for staff and visitors at Oxfordshire hospitals.

More information on the proposals will be published as plans are confirmed.

The funding is expected to be received imminently.