Funding to boost cycling and walking across Staffordshire has been hailed as “fantastic news” by Lichfield’s MP.
The Minister for Roads and Local Transport, Guy Opperman confirmed that the county received £157,000 from the Active Travel Capability Fund this year – and will pick up an extra £470,000 for 2024-25.
He said the funding was “primarily to help local authorities design walking and cycling schemes”.
“The funding can also be used by Staffordshire to pay for helping people walk or bike to school and work, including cycle loans and cycle training.”
Guy Opperman
Conservative MP Sir Michael Fabricant said the funding would support safer and accessible options for residents.
“This is fantastic news for cyclists and walkers across the county – and a further £900,000 is also being given to Staffordshire to expand local walking and cycling networks.
“This will help deliver almost 70 miles of new or improved walking and cycling routes, 154 new crossings and 47 safer junctions across 36 local authorities including Staffordshire. This comes on top of £200million of Active Travel Funding provided in March 2023.
“Authorities have received allocations based on local capability level and the quality and value for money of schemes proposed. The projects, funded by Active Travel England, have been designed to benefit all communities and Staffordshire, along with other authorities, will work closely with residents to ensure they have public support.
“Safety and accessibility are at the heart of the newly funded projects to give local people the choice to make everyday journeys by walking or cycling and that has to be good news around Lichfield District.”
Sir Michael Fabricant
They could start by sorting out existing cycle routes which are totally disintegrating and becoming very unsafe to use as in potholes and poor signage.
I hope the powers that be consult people who actually cycle before embarking on more useless nonsense like the “cycle lane” on Walsall Rd – which is non-enforceable, is routinely parked in and consists of a line of white paint.
Does this mean Michael Fabricant is finally going to get behind calls to finish the footpath along the A5190 between Lichfield and Burntwood? These are the two largest centres of population in his constituency and yet the main road linking them only has isolated sections of footpath leaving pedestrians to walk in the road alongside traffic travelling at 50 mph. I’ve yet to hear our local MP express any particular interest in this rather obvious safety and accessibility issue. He seems more concerned with Lichfield’s canal.
And as Ray says, the cycle paths in Lichfield are something of a joke as well.
With more people struggling financially under the current government and a woefully poor local bus service, walking and cycling are often a necessity and not a lifestyle choice.
@Clare Sholl, well said, there has to be a safe pedestrian/cycle route from Burntwood to Lichfield.
The “Greenway” proposed for the disused railway line doesn’t connect with Burntwood. To use it from Burntwood you will have to negotiate narrow lanes to the far side of Hammerwich to get to it from the Star Pub.
@Clare Sholl and @chris Harris,
Fully agree with you, it is a disgrace that there is no safe route between Burntwood and Lichfield.
From what I’ve seen, there are quite a few others who want this.
Can’t help wondering if the time has come for a petition of some sort, eh?
Or am I living in a dream world, where what people want actually gets recognised ?
I would also hope the County Council would consider footpaths in rural parts of Lichfield. Our village has no shop so a footpath connecting us to the next village, which has a variety of facilities, would be very helpful and encourage more exercise. Yes, you can walk on the road but, as previous contributors have pointed out, that’s a dangerous prospect.
LDC should have started years ago