Mayor provides £3m investment in transport for Hounslow to help boost the local economy

Despite reduction in Transport for London (TfL) central Government funding, investment levels maintained for the borough to deliver the Mayor’s transport strategy.

• TfL to help reduce costs and co-ordinate works on the boroughs main roads to reduce impact of roadworks

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has today announced £3m for Hounslow to invest in transport projects that will benefit the local community.

TfL has allocated the money through Local Implementation Plan (LIP) funding for the borough to spend on projects that support the Mayor’s Transport Strategy.

The funding is awarded to support projects in the London boroughs that will make cycling safer and easier, improve walking facilities, make roads safer, smooth traffic flow and breathe new life into town centres, public squares and local shopping areas to boost the local economy.

The £3m funding package in 2013/14 will finance a range of transport projects in Hounslow, including:

• £1.1m to develop and implement changes to the configuration of the borough’s streets to smooth traffic flows, address road safety issues and provide improved facilities for cyclists and buses. These projects will be implemented in tandem with the borough’s highways maintenance improvements
• £200,000 for Greenways (off road traffic-free paths and spaces for pedestrians and cyclists) including new or improved pathways across Hanworth Park, Lampton Park, Crane Park and in the Brentford area
• £190,000 for Hounslow’s Road Safety Education Programme, which includes cycle training for children and adults and road safety awareness campaigns

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: ’This funding will benefit all of London and everyone living in, working in or visiting Hounslow.

’A world class city deserves a world class transport system and the borough will use this money to make significant improvements for local people.’
Local investment

This year, two new measures have been introduced which will help the boroughs to drive down their costs, deliver value for money and minimise the disruption caused by construction works and road maintenance.

Boroughs can use the new London Highways Alliance Contracts (LoHAC) to avoid the need for each authority to separately appoint contractors to undertake works.

These are four area-based joint highway contracts awarded in November by TfL and the boroughs to reduce costs, provide consistency in the quality of works and materials and to minimise disruption.

In addition, projects undertaken on main roads in the boroughs will be co-ordinated by TfL so that the method and timing of roadworks is managed to reduce their impact in the Capital and associated inconvenience and disruption to residents and road users.

London’s Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy CBE said: ’We are working in partnership with Hounslow and with all the London boroughs to bring real improvements to communities across the city.

’The borough will be using this investment to fund hundreds of projects that will benefit all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians.

’Public squares and local shopping areas will be rejuvenated, attracting more people to the area to boost the local economy.’

Last year in Hounslow, the Mayor’s LIP programme funded cycle training for 2,207 children and 210 adults, 652 new cycle parking spaces, 48 accessible bus stops, 46 new street trees, updated Travel Plans in 71 schools, the removal of 293 metres of guardrail, and three new off-street electric vehicle charging points.

Notes to editors:

Each borough produces a LIP to demonstrate how they plan to implement the Mayor’s Transport Strategy locally.

While individual transport projects are the responsibility of each borough.