Nottingham City Council (NCC) has been successful in bidding for the grant money from the Department for Transport (DfT), which will now be invested in joint projects with Derby to improve connectivity and further encourage use of public transport.
The cash has come from the DfT’s Future Mobility Strategy, which set aside £70m for the 18 Transforming City fund regions, including Nottingham and Derby, to bid for. It will see the creation of four Future Transport Zones around the country.
The area’s longstanding reputation for delivery of innovative, integrated transport schemes was seen as key to the success of the Nottingham and Derby bid, which was focused on three key areas:
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- Creating three types of electric mobility ‘hub’: – neighbourhoods, campuses and depots. Each will aim to encourage the take-up of alternative travel methods and offer electric car club hire, electric bike-sharing, vehicle charging points, digital information screens and real-time public transport information.
- A new website and smartphone app to plan, book and pay for trips on public transport, plus bike hire, car share, taxi journeys, car parking and vehicle charging, as well as discounts and bundles to reward and incentivise trips.
- A data platform to pool various transport data sources owned and collected by the council into a single place to provide a complete picture across the network to improve the efficiency of the traffic control centre and keep commuters informed of the latest information.
There will also be the opportunity to trial new modes of transport such as autonomous vehicles to investigate how they could safely, and sustainably, be incorporated into Nottingham’s established networks.
Councillor Adele Williams, Portfolio Holder for Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “This is exciting news and yet another example of how good we are at bidding for, and securing this type of grant to improve local transport options.
“It is a significant amount of money for Nottingham and Derby, and we have innovative plans in both cities. Here in Nottingham, we’re going to improve traffic information to help commuters and motorists navigate their way around, while at the same time helping our traffic control officers to manage traffic better.
“These plans underline how forward-thinking Nottingham is and will help us to achieve our ambitious target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2028 – ahead of any other city in the country.”
