Thursday 9 May 2013

Brighton and Hove bids for Cycle (and Walking) City Ambition cash

Gehl com

Brighton & Hove City Council is bidding for funding for cycling, walking and public realm facilities from the Department for Transport's (DfT) Cycle City Ambition Grant Fund.

The Greater Brighton City Region (GBCR) was one of 20 cities involved in the ‘city deal’ who were invited to bid, and only two cities are expected to be awarded funding. Partners in the GBCR include Adur, Worthing and Lewes District Councils and East and West Sussex County Councils. They have agreed to support the bid from Brighton & Hove due to the long term benefit this will bring for cross-boundary cycling facilities. The DfT have said that bids must demonstrate how they will ‘secure transformational change’ for active travel. 

Despite the bid being labelled “Cycle City”, the bid guidance says that, while the grant is for delivery of the ‘first two years of a transformational long-term cycling strategy,’ there is also an emphasis on ensuring that any cycling-related infrastructure improvements should create an enhanced and accessible environment for pedestrians. Quite right, too. With this in mind, Living Streets Brighton and Hove added its support to the bid, particularly given the emphasis on getting on with the Brighton and Hove Public Space Public Life legibility study, with its emphasis on the needs of people who use the streets.

The two areas proposed to benefit from the bid are:

· A270 Old Shoreham Road Phase 2, with a scheme to extend the first section of cycle route a further 900m westwards, with junction improvements and pedestrian priority features.

· A259 Marine Parade, with high quality segregated cycle tracks in both east and west directions to link the city centre to planned development in the Marina. There are also plans for a ‘Pocket park’ to enhance public space on the cliff top

Successful bids are expected to be announced in June 2013.  More here.

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