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Suffolk County Council welcomes £7.9 million active travel funding

The government awards Suffolk County Council £7.9 million to develop active travel schemes.
Published: 19 May 2023

A £7.9 million government funding package for Suffolk to promote active travel schemes has been welcomed by Suffolk County Council.

The money has come from Active Travel England (ATE) and will be spent on seven projects encouraging cycling and walking through measures such as cycle lanes, shared-use paths, and improved crossing points on roads.

It forms part of a £200 million package for England announced today, and first unveiled in March this year.

The £7.9m for Suffolk is the fifth highest in England and the most for a county council.

The full list of schemes is:

  • Woodbridge (Town Centre) - £4,005,000
  • Grange Road Felixstowe- £1,318,000
  • Ipswich Hospital to University of Suffolk - £ 1,227,950
  • Woodbridge (South) - £1,125,000
  • Ipswich - £105,149 to be spent on developing 12 schemes including the east-west Ipswich town centre route, Crown Street to Ipswich Waterfront and general travel to school in the borough
  • Developing Bury St Edmunds East/West Route - £105,149
  • Developing Capel St Mary to Copdock route - £46, 967

Some of the schemes, such as Ipswich Hospital to the University, have previously had improvements made under previous ATE funding rounds but this new money will link up and enhance that previous work.

Councillor Alexander Nicoll, Suffolk County Council Deputy Cabinet Member for Transport Strategy, said:

“We welcome this funding as it will enable us to continue to build on the hard work that has taken place so far in developing and enhancing active travel projects.

“These schemes make a real difference because they enable people to get around without having to rely on the car.

“By doing so we reduce congestion and free up road space for the traffic that really does need to be there, while also protecting and enhancing our environment by reducing emissions.”

The council will now launch public engagement schemes throughout 2023 with a view to starting work on all schemes in 2024.