MAYOR SETS OUT £12 MILLION BOOST FOR WALKING, CYCLING AND TRANSPORT IN SOUTH YORKSHIRE

Published 14 March 2022 at 12:22pm

Mayor Dan Jarvis has set out plans for a multi-million-pound boost for walking, cycling and public transport – helping drive the shift towards sustainable transport and better quality of life for South Yorkshire communities.

The Mayor’s inaugural £12m Sustainable Transport Fund would support investment in new cycle lanes, footpaths and transport infrastructure across the region, relieving congestion and improving air quality.

Bus users, cyclists and pedestrians would benefit from the proposals, which include £2m towards walking and cycling improvements in Barnsley town centre, a £2.8m investment in Doncaster’s Mexborough Interchange and linked developments, £2m to improve Eastgate/Parkgate connectivity in Rotherham, and a £2.2m accessibility scheme in Sheffield City Centre. £2m would also be spent region-wide on a Transport Futures Development Fund and £1m on Active Travel Crossings.

Mayor of South Yorkshire, Dan Jarvis, said: “Transforming South Yorkshire’s transport network has been a top priority during my term as Mayor. We’ve already made significant progress in opening greener travel choices across the region, investing millions in cycle lanes, buses, footpaths and transport facilities. The Sustainable Transport Fund is designed to build on this foundation, offering new opportunities for local communities to access convenient, affordable, and accessible connections to the places we live, work, learn, visit, and play. It’ll help us move towards the step-change needed to cut congestion, reduce inequality, improve air quality, and achieve the net-zero future for South Yorkshire we all want to see.”

Cllr Sir Steve Houghton CBE, Leader of Barnsley Council, said: “I’m delighted to see this commitment from SYMCA to invest even further in active travel improvements across the region. Barnsley and South Yorkshire is a place that fosters and grows ambition, enabling everyone to be the best they can be. A big part of that is making sure everyone can get around easily, so they can seize every opportunity available to them.

“We’re committed to making sure people can do this, and importantly, that it’s as easy as possible for people to make use of active travel whether that’s walking, cycling, scooting, or using a wheelchair. The more we do this and, the more we improve our own health and wellbeing, and the more we protect our environment for future generations by reducing the number of cars on our roads.”

Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones said: “This fund would bring much needed investment to Mexborough as part of the overall masterplan for the area. Funding for a new and improved Mexborough Interchange would support our ambitions to provide sustainable transport, helping to relieve congestion and improve air quality for local communities as well as offering healthier transport alternatives.”

Rotherham Council’s Leader and Chair of the Transport & Environment Board for South Yorkshire

Cllr Chris Read, said: “I welcome the additional support to help residents across South Yorkshire to become more active in their travel. Across the region there is already some fantastic work being done to install cycle lanes, footpaths, and other transport infrastructure, including in Rotherham where the Templeborough cycle lanes have just been completed. This further investment will help contribute to further progress in sustainable transport projects to ensure all residents have the opportunity to travel more easily and healthily across the region.”

Councillor Terry Fox, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “As our city grows and the climate emergency remains, we need to take action now to change how we travel. This is not just a challenge for future generations but for all of us today.

“We’re transforming connectivity and the way people can travel around Sheffield by putting infrastructure in place that will serve our city for years to come. This funding will provide vital investment to support our vision of a better connected city, where sustainable travel is an easy option.

“Changing the way we travel is essential to delivering Clean Growth and better connectivity is central to making the whole city more sustainable, which will benefit everyone.

“It's great to see this happening across the region, and is vital if we are to deliver our environmental ambitions to reduce climate change and improve our air quality.”

The Sustainable Transport Fund forms part of Mayor Jarvis’ plans for a cleaner, greener and fairer South Yorkshire, through the delivery of an ambitious active travel network for the region by 2040 – made up of more than 620 miles of accessible walking and cycling routes, 800 safe crossings for people travelling on foot or by bike, and containing nearly 200 square miles of low-traffic neighbourhoods.

It builds on the transformational investment secured by the Mayor for walking and cycling infrastructure during this term, including £166m from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund and £5.4m from the Active Travel Fund.

The new Sustainable Transport grant, which would be split between the four South Yorkshire councils, will be formally agreed by local leaders at the Mayoral Combined Authority Board (SYMCA) meeting on Monday 21 March. It forms part of a record c. £472m in-year investment proposed by SYMCA for South Yorkshire’s transport, housing, business growth, skills, and economic development in 2022/23.