Further £3.6m announced for Safe Routes schemes in Wales

Andrew Davies, minister for economic development and transport, has announced funding of £3.6m for safe routes to school schemes across Wales for 2004/05.

The funding will support 27 projects, taking the total funding for schemes in Wales to over £14.5m since the initiative began. Both urban and rural projects are supported, with new and continued schemes.

Examples include:

• Western Cardiff which covers five schools, improving pedestrian links, speed reduction and cycle lanes, benefiting over 4,200 pupils.
  
• Safe routes at Tredegar Comprehensive in Blaenau Gwent, which will make a significant contribution to safety for walking and cycling to school.
  
• Schemes in Conwy at Towyn, Llysfaen and Abergele, bringing a combination of improved pedestrian and cycle routes and cycle storage.
  
• On the Isle of Anglesey, Ysgol Y Fridd at Gwalchmai, a rural primary school with 51 pupils, will benefit from new pedestrian links and speed reduction measures, while Ysgol Y Parc at Holyhead, with 321 pupils, is situated in a large housing estate with lots of opportunity for modal shift.
  
• Peniel School in Carmarthenshire is semi rural and will benefit from the footpath improvements, bringing good potential for modal shift and a walking bus.
  
• Monmouthshire Comprehensive School is an innovative scheme, enabling the construction of a new coach/bus area away from the school, bringing good safety improvements, with potential to improve walking to school.
  
• Safe routes at eight schools in Neath Port Talbot, each with a school travel plan, covering a mix of measures to increase walking and cycling to school.
  

The initiative, which has been in operation since 1999, has been highly successful. It benefits from strong commitment at local level, bringing partnership between schools, parents, teachers and local authorities, to reduce car journeys and encourage viable, healthy alternatives. Every local authority in Wales has been provided with funding at some point for schemes in their area and schemes in some areas are now actually linking.