£2 million cycling boost for East of England

11 Dec 2015 02:57 PM

Cyclists in the East of England are set to benefit from new or improved cycle routes alongside some of the region’s major A roads as early as Easter 2016, following the award of a construction contract worth up to £2.1 million.

The contract will see Geoffrey Osborne Ltd start in the new year to build or upgrade 17 cycling paths at sites across the region including the A12, A120, A47, and the A5.

The project is part of a £100m national strategy to offer greater accessibility to England’s major roads and a more cycle-friendly network.

Cycling Minister Robert Goodwill said:

These new routes will transform cycling journeys along busy routes in the East of England. The safe and accessible cycle paths and crossing points are an important step in encouraging more people to use their bicycles to get around the region for work, visiting family and friends or for exercise.

Highways England’s improvements on the strategic road network will form part of the government’s £300m investment over the next five years to support a cycling revolution across this country.

Highways England project manager Kelly Millburn added:

We are committed to making cycling on or over our network safer and easier.

By building these cycle improvement schemes across the East of England, we will provide safer journeys for cyclists on our busy roads, focusing on keeping them well separated from motorised traffic and providing safe crossing points.

We also hope to improve links within local communities and to wider local and national cycle networks.

The schemes being worked on are:

• two improved routes in Essex: along the A12 from Witham to Marks Tey and at A120 Parkeston Roundabout in Harwich
• one new and one improved route in Norfolk: at A12 Harfreys Roundabout in Great Yarmouth and along the A47 from Hockering to North Tuddenham
• significant improvements at several locations along the A12 in Lowestoft, Suffolk
• Bedfordshire: improvements to an existing route on the A5, Dunstable High Street and removal of a section of cycle lane on the A5 at Chalk Hill, which doesn’t meet current local authority standards.

More information about cycling projects in the East and elsewhere is available in Highways England’s Delivery Plan 2015-2020.

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