Angus Council’s focus on supporting public health, active travel and road safety has been boosted by a further £629,000 in funding.
The grant from the Scottish Government’s Spaces for People fund was confirmed by Sustrans this week and brings the total secured by Angus Council to £789,000.
Communities Convener, Cllr Mark Salmond said: “We are delighted to now have received confirmation from Sustrans on the success of our latest funding bid.
“The total funding £789,000 that we have successfully secured is in addition to the significant investment that Angus Council is making in Active Travel and Road Safety. It demonstrates our determination to create a safe environment for all road users across Angus and support and promote the take up of cycling, walking and wheeling in the county.”
Managed and administered by Sustrans, the Spaces for People fund aims to address public health issues by allowing people to move around their local area safely while keeping to physical distancing requirements during the transition through and out of the COVID-19 crisis.
Angus Council secured £50,000 for a consultant to carry out necessary feasibility studies and options appraisals for the “lives-changing” project. This was followed by a further successful bid for £110,000 to install temporary 20mph speed restrictions in all seven Burgh towns in Angus, and in the villages of Edzell, Friockheim and Liff.
As work to boost active travel and road safety continues to shift through the gears, this latest Spaces for People funding of £629,000 will be channelled towards further temporary 20mph speed restrictions in at least six villages (Glamis, Hillside, Kingsmuir, Letham, Newbigging and Newtyle) and physical intervention measures in all Burgh towns. This is in the form of signage to promote physical distancing within the new areas where temporary 20mph speed restrictions are operating and in every school cluster in Angus.
The use of barriers and widening footways in all Burgh towns was considered but, following discussions with elected members, not progressed to avoid reducing on-street parking spaces and any adverse impact on our High Street retailers. Consideration may still be given to widening footways with the use of barriers at some locations where there are pinch points in pavements, but only where this will not impact on parking, and to one-way systems.
Part of the latest Spaces for People funding will also be allocated to Vehicle Activate Signage to reinforce temporary 20mph speed restrictions in Angus villages and for the introduction of cycle storage facilities in our towns and villages.
Cllr Salmond said: “Signage and lining for the first tranche of temporary 20mph speed restrictions are nearing completion and will be there for Police Scotland to enforce. The remaining interventions will be rolled out over the coming weeks.
“We are confident that residents, visitors and businesses will welcome the temporary 20mph speed restrictions and these are measures that our community councils in Angus regularly call for. We are also sure that the new cycle storage facilities will be seen as a welcome addition in our towns and villages.
“Everything we are doing as a part of this important initiative is designed to improve road safety and make Angus an even more attractive place to live, work and visit.”
Angus Council
Angus Council works to create strong secure communities, an enterprising workforce, and sustainable development over the range of public services for which it has responsibility. We are a customer and citizen focused organisation and work to deliver accessible, effective and efficient services for the county\'s population.
