Lee Waters, Deputy Economy and Transport Minister, has announced how £14.5 million of active travel investment will be spent across Wales.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
Active travel involves making journeys by physically active means. The funding will improve and create active travel routes and facilities in Wales, as part of efforts to encourage more people to walk and cycle.
The Deputy Minister had previously called on local authorities to be radical and ambitious in their work to improve active travel. He called for proposals to go further in creating infrastructure enabling people to choose walking and cycling as the most natural way to undertake shorter journeys.
In total 66 active travel projects, as well as 6 multimodal schemes, will benefit. These include:
- £1,200,000 for Swansea Central Bridge: supporting the construction of a new footbridge from the Swansea Central development to the City Centre Arena.
- £1,050,000 for the Llanelli Masterplan: providing the first step in creating an easily accessible and mostly traffic free shared use route through the spine of Llanelli.
- £900,000 for scheme development and minor works in Rhondda Cynon Taf: delivering measures including the Brook Street Active Travel bridge, and barrier and path upgrades on the Cynon Trail and the Taff Trail.
- £407,000 for the IBERS to Penrhyncoch shared use path in Ceredigion: construction of 1km long path linking the new station with the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences of Aberystwyth University.
- £256,000 for the Church Street to A548 scheme in Flint: creating improved cycle measures linking Flint Railway Station, Aber Industrial Estate, the Wales Coastal Path, route 5 of the National Cycle Network and Flint Castle.
£1,688,500 for Old Colwyn Promenade in Conwy has already been confirmed, which will deliver improved active travel facilities while also protecting the infrastructure from being damaged or lost to coastal erosion.
The £14.5 million investment is part of the second round of capital funding from the Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan (WIIP) this year. It brings the total grant funding the Welsh Government has allocated to active travel schemes in 2019/20 to more than £40 million.
Lee Waters, Deputy Economy and Transport Minister, said:
“We are facing a climate emergency, an obesity epidemic and an air quality crisis – and active travel can help us address all of these.
“Across Wales we need to do things differently. I have been clear that we need to think big, show ambition and be radical. These projects are a step in the right direction to achieve the change we need, and we will continue to make significant investment to make active travel the obvious choice for more journeys in Wales.”
View: Active travel: additional grants awarded 2019 to 2020.