By Kit Sandeman, Local Democracy Reporter
Nottingham’s biggest upgrade to public transport in years has received funding from the Government, with two new park and rides, contactless payments on buses and trams and a brand new £9.2 million footbridge part of the plans.
Nottingham’s biggest upgrade to public transport in years has received funding from the Government, with two new park and rides, contactless payments on buses and trams and a brand new £9.2 million footbridge part of the plans.
More than 50 different projects have received funding, with work due to start this year on some, and all to be started by April 2023.
One of the bigger schemes is a brand-new park and ride at the Redhill Roundabout, where the A60 meets the A614, in a bid to relieve ‘one of the busiest routes in the country’.
A fleet of buses will drive commuters from the new £2.4 million facility into the city, in part along a £2.3 million new network of bus lanes designed to improve journey time.
There will also be a new 240-space tram park and ride at Wilford Lane, while Phoenix Park and Hucknall park and rides will be expanded by 800 spaces in total.
The most expensive scheme is a £20 million upgrade to the roads and public space around the Broadmarsh bus station, railway station, new college building and Nottingham Castle.
The Government has also committed £9.2 million for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Trent, expected to join Lady Bay with the yet-to-be-built Waterside development, which itself will feature a broad new riverside footpath on the north bank.
As part of this, there will also be work done to enhance pedestrian and cycle facilities over Lady Bay Bridge as well as road junction improvements to improve access to the new and existing bridges.
The long-held ambition to roll-out contactless ticket payments across trams and buses will also take a step forward, with bus companies able to access grants to install necessary machines.
Bus passengers will also see a benefit from a major upgrade to the real-time bus information system at bus stops.
New, cleaner modes of transport will see a boost, with more electric vehicle charging points, and electric bikes for hire, with trials of electric scooters.
The tram park and rides will see an additional 340 spaces at Phoenix Park, an extra 460 spaces at Hucknall, and a new 240 space park and ride at Wilford Lane tram stop.
The bid was submitted to the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund by Nottingham and Derby City Councils together, and some of the schemes will specifically benefit Derby.
Councillor Adele Williams is Nottingham City Council’s portfolio holder for transport, and represents the Sherwood ward for Labour.
She said: “At a time when alternative ways of travelling are being recognised as increasingly important, it’s fantastic that Nottingham is once again at the forefront, securing unprecedented levels of Government funding for a wide range of schemes that will make a big difference for local people.
“We’re building on the good foundations of our excellent public transport system and some great walking and cycling facilities.
“These schemes will help to connect some of the gaps in our cycle network, especially to employment sites. We plan to put some ‘pop-up’ facilities in ahead of the full schemes so people can start to use these routes as lockdown restrictions are eased.
“Expansion of some of our tram network’s park and ride sites, and a new bus park and ride site just north of the city, will give more people the option of not bringing their cars all the way into the city, helping us to continue our efforts to reduce congestion and pollution.
“The improvements between the station and Nottingham Castle via Broadmarsh are long-awaited and will create a much-needed welcoming entrance to the city from the south, improving the area for people on foot or bike and linking to new developments and public transport connections.”
Several of the schemes are focused on ‘active travel’ – on foot and bicycle, which has been a major focus of the Government in recent months with public transport capacity reduced due to social distancing restrictions.
Just under £7 million will go towards a new cycle corridor between Nottingham and Derby, while £5.1 million will go on cross-city cycle routes.
David Clasby is the partnership manager for Sustrans East Midlands, a charity which promotes walking and cycling.
He said: “This level of funding is going to be absolutely transformative.
“This is not going to be one-off projects, it’s going to be a lot of interventions that will make it so much more appealing for people to walk and cycle, so it’s brilliant news for the city.
“This will change the entire landscape.
“The bridge is a particularly exciting project, because it is quite challenging to get across the Trent safely in places by bike, or by walking it’s not the most pleasant experience, so this should change that.
“The potential for the super highways between Nottingham and Derby which opens up links to Toton, Beeston, Long Eaton etcetera, making those journeys in could make a significant impact on congestion levels, pollution, and getting people physically active.”
The leader of Gedling Borough Council John Clarke said he first remembers raising the prospect of building a new park and ride at Redhill when John Prescott was transport secretary, more than 20 years ago.
Councillor Clarke, who represents the Netherfield ward for Labour, said news the funding for the park and ride had been approved was ‘extremely welcome’.
He said: “I remember telling John Prescott that route into the city was one of the busiest routes in the country, and obviously it’s got a lot worse since then.
“So it’s really welcome, and I think it will make a big difference.
“It’s also got some terrible levels of air pollution along that route, so anything we can do to reduce that is a good thing.”
Richard Mallender is the Green Party councillor for Lady Bay.
He welcomed news of the new footbridge, but said: “It’s good there’ll be a footbridge in a few years, because anything we can do to promote cycling and sustainable transport is welcome.
“But it’s all good and well saying it will be there in a few years, we need real improvements for cyclists on Trent Bridge and Lady Bay bridge now.
“In the city, the routes for cyclists are quite good, but as soon as you get into the county it’s a very mixed picture and it’s very disjointed.”
