The Mayor of London Boris Johnson confirmed unprecedented level of Transport for London (TfL) funding for roads and cycling

London, UK, 16-12-2013 — /EuropaWire/ — Borough funding is protected through Transport for London’s savings and efficiencies programme.

• Unprecedented levels of investment as part of wider Transport for London (TfL) funding for roads and cycling.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has confirmed TfL’s financial support to local transport projects through the Local Implementation Fund ( LIP), will be held constant at £147.8m for the next three years to 2016/17.

LIP funding has been protected through TfL’s savings and efficiencies programme in recognition of the vital role the boroughs play in local delivery of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, despite a reduction in TfL’s Central Government funding.

The funding will be used by the boroughs to support projects that will create safer cycling infrastructure, improve roads, high streets and neighbourhoods and tackle air pollution across London.

These improvements form part of the wider work TfL is carrying out across London to deliver the recommendations of the Mayor’s Roads Task Force (RTF) to tackle the challenges facing London’s streets and roads.

This independent body brings together a wide range of interests and expertise, united in the belief that the capital needs a long-term strategy for roads and a commitment to major investment in street management and urban design.

Transport projects to benefit from the funding include:

• More than £6.9m to remove the Aldgate gyratory and create a new public space and cycle routes to give the City of London a fresh look
• £750,000 for a range of local road safety measures in advance of the opening of Barking & Dagenham’s Riverview Secondary School in September
• £250,000 for the Lea Valley Road  traffic – free cycle route in Enfield to encourage more and safer cycling
• £320,000 to improve air quality in Walthamstow town centre by planting trees and introducing other greenery in heavily polluted areas to mitigate the impact of emissions. This will also include a green corridor with a segregated pedestrian/cyclist path away from motor traffic
• £500,000 for continued improvement works of the Grand Union Canal to increase cycling along the canal as well as to provide cycle training and promotion of cycling events.

The Mayor, Boris Johnson, said: ‘Without the London boroughs we simply couldn’t deliver the huge programme of improvements we are making to the Capital’s roads, open spaces and neighbourhoods.

‘This funding, together with the investment through my roads and cycling plans, means the improvements being delivered in partnership with London’s boroughs is simply unprecedented.

‘Safer cycling routes and better open spaces not only make our city safer but they also boost local economies encouraging people to support their local high streets.’

The boroughs are also benefitting from measures introduced by TfL last year to help them keep costs down, provide value for money and keep the disruption of road and construction works to a minimum.

For example, the London Highways Alliance Contracts (LoHAC), which helps the boroughs avoid the need to individually appoint contractors to undertake works.

London’s Transport Commissioner, Sir Peter Hendy CBE, said: ‘This money will have a great impact at a local level, delivering hundreds of projects that will make a real difference to the daily lives of local people and boosting local economies.

‘This work is key to supporting and complementing our wider investment to improve the transport network for people who live or work in London or who are visiting the Capital.’

LIPs funding announced in 2012 for 2013/14 improved conditions for cyclists and made cycling safer and easier; improved walking facilities; made roads safer; improved road journey reliability and breathed new life into town centres, public squares and local shopping areas.

Projects underway and completed in 2013/14 include:

• £2.1m for Tolworth Broadway in the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames. Completed in November 2013, works include improvements to roads in the area reconnecting the high street at Tolworth Broadway with the station and residential areas. The scheme has also improved conditions for cyclists and pedestrians by reducing car speed limits providing a brighter, calmer and safer environment for all road users
• £3.5m for a major project in Bexleyheath, including a new roundabout on Albion Road to slow approaching traffic and a new public space outside Christ Church. Other works include an improved and widened pedestrian crossing with countdown indicators, new street furniture including cycle parking and removal of street clutter
• £450,000 for Van Gough Walk in Lambeth creating a new public space next to a school to give locals a place to relax, walk and reminisce the life of a famous artist who lived in the area
• £358,000 for the creation of segregated cycle paths on Royal College Street in Camden. The scheme has provided a safer and cycle friendly environment on this important North to South link for cyclists. Other works include the removal of traffic signs to enable smooth flow of traffic on the street
• £2.5m for public realm improvements to make Hornchurch in Havering, a shopping destination. Works completed in June 2013 include the removal of street clutter, widened pavements, better junctions, new informal crossings, easy access to nearby green spaces such as the Queens Park and Ingrebourne Valley. Since the works, traffic congestion in the area has reduced 

Notes to editors:

• Each borough produces a Local Implementation Plan (LIP) to demonstrate how they plan to implement the Mayor’s Transport Strategy locally.  While Transport for London allocates funding for individual schemes, the LIP and delivery of individual projects is the responsibility of each borough
• Borough funding allocations for 2014/15:

Total allocation by programme area: