Bike Biz)
Leicester has been awarded nearly £8 million of Department for Transport (DfT) funding for a range of city transport schemes.
The bid, part of the council’s Transforming Cities work, has secured investment for two major projects, focusing on creating an extensive cycling network and bike hire scheme and bringing in a fleet of electric buses on one of the city’s three Park and Ride routes.
Around £6.25 million will fund the development of a network of walking and cycling links, which will connect the city centre to the universities, neighbourhoods and other key areas of the city. Some £500,000 will be used to create a new public bike hire scheme, with around 500 bikes available for hire from more than 50 docking stations across the city. The council has said it hopes the bike hire scheme will be up and running in late 2019.
The schemes are designed to support the local economy and help improve air quality in the city. Leicester’s £7.84 million grant is the result of the city council’s successful bid for a share of £60 million of DfT funding, for schemes to be delivered in 2019/20. The city council and partners will also contribute funding for the schemes.
