£30m investment pot for National Cycle Network

Sustrans will oversee works to upgrade cycleway connectivity, improve accessibility and create more traffic-free sections

A £30m fund for upgrading the National Cycle Network has been unveiled by the Department for Transport (DfT) as part of its ‘Summer of Cycling and Walking’ initiative.

The investment will be managed by Sustrans. Upgrades will take place on existing paths and cycle routes to:
•    enhance cycleway connectivity
•    improve accessibility through the removal of barriers
•    develop and increase the number of completely traffic-free sections of the Network.

Xavier Brice, Sustrans’ chief executive, said “This funding will bring major improvements to the National Cycle Network across England by linking communities together and enhancing valued and well-used cycling and walking routes. Most importantly of all, this vital boost will further enable those who want to cycle, walk or wheel to do so.”

The announcement coincides with the DfT’s introduction of the 2021/22 Capability Fund, a £30m revenue funding stream allocated to all local authorities in England, outside of London, to help them plan for good quality active travel infrastructure and to support behaviour change programmes.

The fund is supported by Moment of Change, a guidance publication for local authorities. The guidance enables authorities to support commuters to make active travel choices when returning to workplaces post-pandemic and is also released today under the Summer of Cycling and Walking banner.

Later in the year, Active Travel England will be set up as a dedicated body focused on ensuring inclusive design in town and city infrastructure, tipping the balance in favour of active forms of travel.

Xavier Brice added: “The pandemic has highlighted the huge benefits of active forms of travel to people’s personal health and wellbeing, to local communities and to the environment. We’ve seen a marked increase in numbers using the National Cycle Network and this commitment to funding underlines its importance.

“We welcome the government’s continued focus on cycling and walking. The time is right to ensure we’re able to carry on working with our volunteers and other organisations in our role as a proud custodian of the Network, to create and offer a safe, accessible and traffic-free travel environment for everyone’s benefit.”

During 2020, cycling and walking usage on the traffic-free portion of the National Cycle Network were up by 25%, when compared to 2019.

Projects that will be funded:
•    A funding contribution to the missing link in National Route 33 between Clevedon and Weston-Super-Mare, creating an iconic Pier to Pier route and the first viable link for walking and cycling between the two towns
•    Surface quality improvements to the existing National Route 72 between Wylam and Newburn in Northumberland, a key leisure and commuter route linking the towns and villages of the Tyne Valley with Newcastle-upon-Tyne
•    Feasibility & design study to consider access improvements on Skelton Grange Bridge, a significant barrier on National Route 67 - a popular route that links Leeds City Centre with the communities to the East of the city
•    Realignment of an on-road section of National Route 63 to a traffic-free and quietway alternative, linking with Staffordshire County Council's Active Travel Fund road space reallocation scheme on Station Street and Town Deal public realm improvements.
•    Improvements to National Route 55, a key active travel route between Macclesfield town centre and the northern suburbs of the town, with a road crossing on Middlewood Way and widening of a shared-use path through a reallocation of road space.