£400,000 secured to improve cycle lane along Trans Pennine Trail in Doncaster

Sustainable travel charity Sustrans has granted DMBC £430,000 for an improvement scheme for a 1.2 kilometre section of the Trans Pennine Trail between Mill Lane, Harlington and Pastures Road, Mexborough.

In April 2019, Sustrans invited bids from councils for grant funding to improve sections of the National Cycle Network. Doncaster Council submitted a bid for this funding to improve areas of the Trans Pennine Trail in the borough.

Locations were selected based on the ‘poor condition’ of surfacing and those that have had ‘little or no investment’.

Council bosses said the route ‘becomes muddy through winter’ and ‘unusable’ for some users.

The proposals include setting the existing access control back to allow sufficient space for cycles and equestrian users to queue and not be on the live carriageway.

Bosses added the access control is ‘currently unsafe’ for users on adapted cycles such as tandems and trikes as there ‘isn’t sufficient space’ to negotiate the barrier without an extended amount of time on the main road.

The funding comes after Sustrans produced their ‘Paths for Al’” report in 2018 which indicated a cycling network of ‘intermittent quality’.

There are 25 miles of National Cycle Network which runs through Doncaster. Much of the Trans Pennine Trail in the borough was categorised as being ‘Good’ (18 Miles), with the on road sections scoring ‘Very Poor’ (7 Miles).

Kerry Perruzza, strategic transportation manager, at DMBC, said: “The project has the potential to improve connectivity for Doncaster residents to areas of employment and green, open spaces on bike and by foot.

“It will make walking and cycling a more attractive option by installing a sealed surface along the routes specified.

“The works would be delivered in areas with high levels of deprivation and therefore provide high quality, traffic free cycling and walking infrastructure to the communities that need it the most.

“The potential improvements in the active travel network could also lead to modal shifts resulting in better air quality and a reduction in levels of congestion.”