Transforming Cities Fund
In June 2020, Nottingham and Derby City Councils received over £160m from the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) to build a package of transport schemes aimed at strengthening connections between major employment sites, upgrading public transport, and improving facilities for people on foot or bike – an increasingly important investment following the declaration of a climate crisis in 2021.
All proposals meet two key TCF objectives:
- Supporting commuting, employment, development and economic growth
- Reducing carbon
Transforming Cities Fund proposals
Working collaboratively with Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council will be supporting the delivery of several schemes that were submitted in the TCF bid and are located on the County Council’s local road network.
Since the original TCF bid was submitted in 2019 there has been a significant increase in the estimated project costs due to wider economic pressures. The County Council has carried out a detailed review of its TCF proposals to ensure that these remain affordable and continue to offer value for money.
Several schemes have been removed from the programme as they are no longer affordable within the available budget. Still, the Council will continue to seek alternative ways of funding these schemes in future.
Find out more about the review of the TCF proposals
A revised package of TCF proposals has now been agreed to make the most of the available funding opportunity:
Completed schemes to date
A612 Colwick Loop Road
Widening works were undertaken on the existing shared-use footway between Mile End Road and Private Road Number 1 to improve the current facilities along the A612.
The scheme enhances the existing pedestrian and cycle route along the A612 and forms the first phase of long-term aspirations to improve pedestrian and cycle facilities between Nottingham and the east of the city.
Robin Hood Network
A programme of upgrades to real-time bus information displays and other bus stop infrastructure at bus stops within the county network. This included the continuation of the Robin Hood network branding at relevant stops.
Find out more about Nottinghamshire County Council’s real time bus information
Traffic light priority
Traffic signals at 64 junctions were upgraded with specialist software to detect late-running buses. Once a late-running bus has been detected, the software enables the green phase of the traffic signals to be extended, allowing the bus to clear the junction. The software installation will improve bus journey time reliability across the network.
Schemes under construction/in development phase
Bridge connections in Lady Bay and West Bridgford
The new pedestrian and cycle bridge being constructed by Nottingham City Council over the River Trent will improve links between West Bridgford and Nottingham City Centre and out towards Holme Pierrepont.
As an increase is expected in the number of pedestrians and cyclists using these routes, improvements are being made to the Riverside Path in Lady Bay and the connecting path to Holme Road. This involves widening and resurfacing the existing paths, along with improvements to the crossing point near Melbourne Road to increase visibility.
The existing pedestrian barriers will also be re-positioned to make them easier to access. We will also be trialling low-level lighting that is designed to be bat-friendly to see if this is suitable for use alongside the new Riverside and Hook Paths.
Work is also due to take place next year at the junction of Trent Boulevard and Holme Road in Lady Bay to widen the existing pedestrian refuges to create more space for those waiting to cross, especially at peak times such as Nottingham Forest FC match days.
Improvements to two existing crossings on Radcliffe Road near Mabel Grove/Rutland Road and Cyril Road are also being considered. These would see the existing crossings upgraded and the approaches to the crossings widened and resurfaced where space allows. As these proposals would involve changes to the road layout and markings and the possible removal of several street trees, consultation is taking place before any recommendations are made.
