Cameron announces 94-mln-pound funding for cycling projects in Britain

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Cameron announces 94-mln-pound funding for cycling projects in Britain

(Xinhua) 20:15, August 12, 2013

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British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Monday that the government has allocated a total of 94 million pounds (146 million U.S. dollars) for a number of cities and national parks to help them promote cycling.

It has been described as the biggest ever single injection of cash for Britain alongside plans to make roads safer for those on two wheels.

Cities to benefit from the funds include Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle, Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford and Norwich, which will share 77 million pounds of funds. Four national parks will get a further 17 million pounds.

"This government wants to make it easier and safer for people who already cycle as well as encouraging far more people to take it up and business, local government, developers, road users and the transport sector all have a role to play in helping to achieve this," Cameron said.

The prime minister also mentioned British success in the Olympics, the Paralympics and the Tour de France. "British cycling is riding high - now we want to see cycling soar," he said.

"Our athletes have shown they are among the best in the world and we want to build on that, taking our cycling success beyond the arena and onto the roads, starting a cycling revolution which will remove the barriers for a new generation of cyclists," he said.

New trunk road schemes that have a significant impact on cyclists, such as junction improvements or road-widening, will be "cycle-proofed" so they can be navigated confidently by the average cyclist, said the government in a statement.

The Department for Transport is arranging a conference in the autumn aiming to encourage local authorities to deliver better cycle infrastructure.

Further work is underway to make it even easier for local governments to install mandatory cycle lanes and contraflow cycle lanes, according to the statement.

Together with local contribution, the total new funding for cycling is 148 million pounds between now and 2015. (1 pound = 1.55 U.S. dollars)

（Editor：LiXiang、Hongyu）