Mayor Confirms £5.4m for local transport

Acton stretch of Uxbridge Road will see major improvements

The Mayor of London today confirmed £5.4m for Ealing to spend on local transport improvements during 2010/11, including £416,000 for essential road maintenance and £910,000 for major schemes. Ealing has been developing proposals for a number of schemes that it will be financing with the funding package, including:

· £450,000 for improvements to the Acton stretch of the Uxbridge Road corridor, to improve road safety, reduce congestion, smooth traffic flow, improve bus journeys, walking and provisions for cycling;

· £420,000 for improvements to the Ealing North-South route to reduce collisions, smooth traffic flow, improve public transport reliability and increase active travel;

· £150,000 for improvements to the West Ealing North-South corridor including Northfields Avenue. The area is used by a large number of pedestrians, particularly schoolchildren and measures will include the raising of all pedestrian crossings to address concerns over traffic speed;

· £375,000 for further improvements to Petts Hill Bridge which will widen the road underneath the railway to reduce congestion and improve public transport;

· £200,000 for improvements to Greenford Town Centre. Measures include better crossings, wider footpaths, improved public realm light and street furniture as well as accessibility improvements such as dropped kerbs, tactile paving and crossings.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said:

“Even in these tough economic times I am committed to providing this funding to all of London’s boroughs. The investment means that across the capital town centres and public spaces are being overhauled, cycling and walking facilities are being improved, and roads are being made safer. We have cut red tape to make it easier for borough councils to choose the local transport projects that benefit their residents the most, simplifying the funding system and working together to give local people the improvements they want.

"This time we're also giving an extra focus to cycling - helping to provide the training, cycle parking, and maintenance knowhow to support the introduction of the first two Cycle Superhighways next year."

Funding for local schemes is allocated each year by Transport for London. The Mayor has simplified the system – reducing the number of funding streams from 23 to five, and introducing fairer funding formulas where needed.

London’s Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy said:

“Ealing has identified a range of small and large scale projects that will make a real difference to local people by improving town centres and public spaces, reducing the number of collisions on our roads, improving the environment and promoting greener forms of travel. Ealing also has the flexibility to move certain funding between projects if, during the course of the year, they find more or less funding is needed for individual schemes.”

December 11, 2009