The Government have today announced announced the largest ever funding boost to create a new pop-up infrastructure to support cycling and walking during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
The first stage of the £2bn investment will be a £250m emergency active travel fund to help councils reallocate roadspace for cyclists and pedestrians.
Pop-up bike lanes with protected space for cycling, wider pavements and safer junctions, as well as cycle and bus-only corridors will be created in England within weeks
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said “getting Britain moving again, while not overcrowding our transport network, is going to require many of us to think carefully about how and when we travel.”
With a 70% rise in the number of people on bikes for exercise and necessary journeys, Shapps continued, “So, while it’s still crucial that we stay at home, when the country does get back to work, we need those people to carry on cycling and walking, and to be joined by many more.”
Cllr David Renard, Local Government Association transport spokesman, said: “We are pleased the Government has announced measures today to allow councils to help the country transition to the new way we will need to travel around, including to and from work.”
“This new way of travelling is likely to become part of everyday life once the coronavirus measures are lifted and beyond.”
The Government is also bringing forward e-scooter trials from next year to next month.
