A package of projects designed to help get us out of our cars and onto trains, buses, bikes, walking or using electric vehicles has been awarded a whopping £51million.
A dozen projects can now get under starters’ orders, thanks to the Transforming Cities Fund which aims to help the city shift up a gear in tackling climate change and making sustainable transport more attractive and convenient.
The projects aim to reduce congestion, improve air quality and help the city prosper by investing in infrastructure to improve public and sustainable transport connectivity on key commuter routes across the city.
Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure said: “This will completely transform the way people get around in Plymouth. Collectively, transport makes up around 28 per cent of carbon emissions so it absolutely makes sense to do all we can as a city to get people out of their cars. Small changes make a big difference.
“We pitched an ambitious £239 million to government and did not get as much as we would have liked, but this is good to be getting on with! Only 20 per cent of the total fund went to the South West. The rest went north. ”
The schemes will deliver improvements to the walking and cycling network, focussing on filling gaps on the existing strategic cycle network and improving the current infrastructure. They will provide better and more continuous links to key growth areas on the main transport routes using sustainable, low carbon travel, which reduces congestion and provides more reliable journey times.
Councillor Sue Dann, Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Scene said: “We are thinking seriously about the type of city we want to pass on to the next generation and this is a fantastic mix of projects that will help plug the gaps in our sustainable transport network as well as bring on-track some exciting ideas for future forms of travel. It’s about making the green, carbon-friendly option as convenient and easy as possible for residents, commuters and visitors”
The projects are:
- Around 50 mobility hubs with electric vehicle charge points, e-bikes, car clubs, and transport information for businesses, the public and visitors. These will be integrated with the public transport network and will have 300 electric vehicle charging points, up to 400 e-bikes, solar carports and a smart booking system. It means people can plan journeys to use public and shared transport, both in Plymouth and on the main routes into Devon and Cornwall.
- City Centre walking and cycling links - a long-term programme to transform the City Centre’s streets and spaces including de-cluttering and improving pedestrian and cycle movement through the city centre
- Royal Parade improvement scheme - will increase capacity for buses with more bus stops. This road is a key part of the city’s transport network with 158 buses stopping every hour.
- Mayflower Street bus stops - upgraded to take pressure off Royal Parade
- Plymouth Station forecourt interchange - a pedestrian priority area linking to railway station concourse improvements delivered and funded through the first tranche of TCF funding
- Walk and cycle improvements from Dockyard to City Centre - the B3396 Saltash Road from the Dockyard to the City Centre corridor to be significantly improved for cycling and walking with a new a 2.7 kilometre path.
- Smart signals – modernising our traffic control systems so that it is less susceptible to failure and works more efficiently. This will cut congestion on the roads by smoothing traffic flows and prioritising signals in response to demand. This, in turn, will improve air quality as stop/start driving is inefficient for fuel consumption and vehicle emissions. Re-phased signals for buses approaching junctions will give them a ‘green wave’ through the city
- Woolwell to the George Transport improvement scheme - funding for walking and cycling facilities linking the Park and Ride with Woolwell village to support the planned Woolwell development. Woolwell Roundabout will be replaced with signal control junction and new signal junction at Woolwell Crescent. The road widening funding is still to be sourced through other means.
- Public Transport Hub at St Budeaux - The two St. Budeaux rail stations (Victoria Road and Ferry Road) are both close to bus services. A hub will connect commuters using trains from South East Cornwall and West Devon with employment and healthcare opportunities in the Derriford area. Enabling passengers to change at St. Budeaux reduces journey times by sustainable transport compared to travelling via Plymouth Station.
- Crownhill Road sustainable transport package - a new bus lane in each direction, with two lanes for general traffic. The bus lanes will be shared with cyclists, separating cyclists from general traffic. The scheme includes bus and cycle facilities at the Crownhill Road / Budshead Road junction. The improvements will speed up bus journey times, reliability and reduce air pollution.
- Work places travel grants - The Council will work with employers to develop and deliver sustainable travel policies and infrastructure in their workplace so that organisations encourage staff to travel more actively to enjoy health benefits as well as contribute to CO2 and other emissions reductions
- St Budeaux Station to Dockyard walking and cycling route - the A3064 Wolseley Road to Dockyard to have a new 3.2 kilometre cycling and walking path connecting Tamar Bridge to city centre.
Plymouth’s successful submission is called Productive Plymouth and looks to provide improved transport connections to help people of all ages and backgrounds get to work, education and training as well as hospitals and doctors quickly and easily
Plymouth has already secured £7.6 million in the first wave of the Transforming Cities Fund and projects are already making a difference to people’s travel habits. Charge points for electric vehicles are being installed at public and private sites, Real-Time Passenger Information is being upgraded at bus stops, new bus shelters and timetable cases have been installed along our key bus routes and a new off-road cycle route is currently under construction along Southway Drive.