19 December 2007
SPT spends over £500,000 in South Lanarkshire
New transport projects to be funded by SPT
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is spending over £560,000 on transport improvements in South Lanarkshire.
The money will fund six new projects including sustainable transport initiatives, bus infrastructure improvements and a feasibility study into a rail link between Larkhall and Stonehouse.
Local authorities in Strathclyde were invited to apply for funding for transport projects from SPT’s capital budget for 2007/08. SPT assessed the applications and then allocated over £4.8million to projects across the region, including £567,000 for South Lanarkshire Council.
SPT Vice Chair and South Lanarkshire Councillor Davie McLachlan said: “SPT doesn’t just concentrate on huge projects that cost millions and take years to complete – this funding shows that local communities are also at the heart of what we do.
“Relatively small projects can make a huge difference to local people. This money will be spent on improving public transport in South Lanarkshire’s local communities. We want to improve the transport network across Strathclyde and these projects are all steps towards that goal.”
Councillor Chris Thompson, Chair of Enterprise Resources at South Lanarkshire Council said: “Good public transport is vital in ensuring the wellbeing and prosperity of an area and I am sure the people of South Lanarkshire will join me in welcoming this investment.
“The continuing success of the new Larkhall rail line proves there is a growing demand for public transport and anything that encourages greater use is to be welcomed.
“We as a council are committed to regenerating and investing in South Lanarkshire and financial commitments from partner organisations, such as SPT, greatly help with our ambitious plans for the area”
The new projects being funded by SPT are:
- Upgrade to pedestrian signage to and from the railway stations in East Kilbride and Hamilton (£25,000) - This will improve accessibility and encourage greater use of these facilities.
- Route Action Plan projects (£200,000) – There are a number of significant routes in South Lanarkshire that have been identified as having an accident rate up to 2.5 times above the national average. These routes require remedial measures to improve their overall safety. These measures include improved signage, surfacing, road markings, edge markers and chevron posts. Routes which could be treated in 2008/09 include A72 Hazelbank to Kirkfieldbank, A70 Hyndford Road to Ravenstruther, A72 Larkhall to Ferniegair and A73 Carluke to Lanark.
- Larkhall to Stonehouse rail link feasibility study (£50,000) – A proposal to investigate the feasibility/alignment options for an extension of the Larkhall Line to Stonehouse. This has been triggered by the overall success of the opening of the Larkhall line.
- Bus Infrastructure improvements (£50,000) – This funding will allow suitable bus stops to be identified and prioritised for improvements (eg. shelters, hardstanding areas, Real Time Information and bus boarders). Focus will be given to the key routes that have the potential to become Quality Bus Corridors in the future.
- Sustainable Transport Initiatives (£100,000) – The initiatives introduced will include cycle lockers at rail and bus stations in South Lanarkshire. Other potential measures to be considered are cycle lockers at Council premises, pedestrian signage to and from public transport hubs, short cycle and footway links to bus and rail stations, walking and cycling publicity and school travel plan publicity.
- Upgrade of Traffic Survey Equipment (£50,000) – Traffic monitoring is required to operate a safe and efficient road network. In addition, traffic data is used in the assessment of new road proposals, assessing the impact of new developments on existing road networks and identifying traffic growth in the area. South Lanarkshire Council currently operates around 60 traffic monitoring sites, many of which now require to be upgraded.
Councillor Lesley McDonald added: “This commitment from SPT has to be welcomed and demonstrates how important public transport links are to the area.
“In particular, I am happy to support the bus infrastructure improvement which will undoubtedly encourage more people to use public transport. The feasibility study into the rail link between Larkhall and Stonehouse could be a step in the right direction for these local communities.”
As well as new projects, the funding also means that other existing projects can be moved up the priority list, including a bus based study into Park and Ride in South Lanarkshire (£40,000) and a study into design and operation issues for new stations at Law and Symington (£40,000).
In addition, £50,000 has been allocated to cover a budget increase on the National Cycle Route (NCR) 74 cycle route development. This funding came from a budget decrease of £50,000 on a study into Quality Bus Corridors.
A total of £12,000 has also been allocated to cover slippage on two 2006/07 projects – bus facilities at Lady Home Cottage Hospital (£7,000) and a pedestrian link at Newton Station (£5,000).
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