Cyclists to benefit by £3.7m as routes are made safer

The biggest scheme is worth £1.9m for improvements to the Humber-Holderness cycle link in the East Riding.

Further awards include:

£900,000 for work on the Wheldon Road corridor in Castleford.

£400,000 for work on the Elsecar Greenway section of the Trans Pennine Trail and Corton Wood retail park access road crossing.

£244,000 on a project to improve cycle routes on Retford Road between Worksop and Manton.

£195,000 for a scheme on the Airedale Greenway link between Stockbridge and Utley, near Keighley.

£84,000 for a crossing on the A684 at Aiskew, near Bedale in North Yorkshire.

Transport Minister Norman Baker said: “Cycling is healthy and reduces congestion so it is welcome news that more and more people are taking to two wheels. Ensuring this funding is targeted where improvements will make a real difference to cyclists is just one way we are ensuring this trend continues.”

The awards are part of a £40m package in England to improve the design and layout of roads at 78 locations. Overall, half the cash comes from the Government and half from local authority match funding.

All schemes, selected in partnership with transport charity Sustrans, are due to be completed within the next 12 months. They include work to simplify road layouts, measures to lower speeds, changes to crossings and in some cases bypasses including bridges.