Councillor Qaiser Azeem, Cabinet Member for Transport and Green City at City of Wolverhampton Council in North Street
A plan to develop a network of walking, wheeling and cycling routes to improve air quality, cut traffic and encourage active lifestyles is set to be backed by City of Wolverhampton Council leaders.
The council’s cabinet will be asked to support the Black Country Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Plan at its meeting on 19 March.
The collaborative blueprint involves all 4 Black Country councils and is for an interconnected network of active travel routes across the region.
It will make walking, cycling and wheeling – such as using a wheelchair, or electric mobility scooter – a more attractive option, particularly for short journeys.
Projects include safe segregated cycle lanes, better footpaths, intelligent lighting, more cycle parking, conveniently located pedestrian crossings and more accessible routes for users of wheelchairs and specially adapted cycles.
In a consultation on the plan 86% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that it would be valuable to have a walking, wheeling and cycling network in the Black Country.
Councillor Qaiser Azeem, Cabinet Member for Transport and Green City at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “The travel options we provide for people have an impact on everything from traffic congestion and air pollution to the local economy and our health.
“Establishing a network of walking, wheeling and cycling routes aligns with the priorities we have set out in Wolverhampton to create well-connected neighbourhoods with healthy inclusive communities, while helping towards the city wide goal of becoming net zero by 2041.”
In Wolverhampton active travel schemes in the plan include:
Bentley Bridge to Darlaston
Fordhouses to Heath Town
City Centre to Lower Penn
City Centre to Perton
Smestow Valley Leisure Route
Ring Road
West Park to Whitmore Reans
Park Village
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It is anticipated most of the funding to develop and deliver projects will come from external grants.
City of Wolverhampton Council and Walsall Council are currently working together to create a new cycle route from Noose Lane to Pinson Road, along the A454 Willenhall Road and Somerford Place. This £2.5m project is funded through the Active Travel Fund, provided by the Department for Transport and the Further City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) – specifically outlined for transport schemes such as this.