Emission free travel is at the forefront of London’s agenda and now the Mayor of London and Transport for London have committed £4million for biking boroughs in outer London.
The funding is meant to engage the community in cycling as well as boosting infrastructure and making cycling safer.
A total of 13 boroughs were awarded Biking Borough status in 2010 with each borough receiving £25,000. It is hoped a local culture of cycling will be created with a focus on creating cycling hubs in town centre locations.
From yesterday (Feb 21), all 13 boroughs had the opportunity to bid for a share of the £4million funding. The £4million could pay for around 40,000 on-street cycle parking spaces or fund the training of 200,000 truck drivers with regard to the safety and awareness of cyclists. Money could also cover training courses for more than 66,000 cyclists or 100km of quiet cycle routes in suburban areas. Decisions for how the funding will be used will be made by individual boroughs.
According to Ben Plowden, Transport for London’s director of Better Routes and Places, research shows that half of the trips in the capital that could be made by bicycle are in outer London.
The deadline for bids is the end of March with funding for the three-year period needing to be spent by March, 2014.
