The two councils in our area have received very different responses to their bids for funding to promote cycling and active travel in their areas.

While Wokingham Borough Council can be classed as winners for being awarded a five figure sum to help it improve active travel infrastructure, Bracknell Forest Council has not received anything… yet.

Councils throughout England have been bidding to obtain funding to enhance infrastructure for ‘active travel’ such as cycling and walking in their areas.

The funding has been provided by the Department of Transport’s Local Authority Capability Fund, from which Wokingham Borough Council received  £94,481.

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Meanwhile, it appears Bracknell Forest Council received nothing. In a list specifying how much each local authority has been awarded, next to Bracknell Forest it states: “Further assurances are required before funding is confirmed.” The neighbouring Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead received the same response.

However, a transport boss for Bracknell Forest is quietly confident that the area will receive active travel funding in the near future.

Stuart Jefferies, transport strategy manager, said: “Bracknell Forest Council is awaiting a government grant which should be received in the coming weeks. We have also bid for capital funds to develop schemes for the future.

“Funding has yet to be released from the Department for Transport, who have recently received assurances from Bracknell Forest that it takes Active Travel very seriously and takes a proactive role in working with local schools, residents and businesses in promoting use of our existing network of paths and cycleways, which we are very proud of.”

Meanwhile, councillor Pauline Jorgensen, Wokingham Borough’s executive member for highways and transport, has celebrated the amount of funding received.

Cllr Jorgensen (Conservative, Hillside) said: “We’re delighted to win this funding from the Department for Transport, which will support us in our goals to get more people cycling and walking – particularly on short journeys. This money will be used towards employing a ‘cycle champion’ who will support schools, businesses and residents to cycle as much as possible.

“This will help make the most of the new cycling infrastructure in the borough, such as the new cycleways on Observer Way in Arborfield, London Road in Wokingham and the Greenways around the borough.

“A number of other projects will see construction start soon including a new link between Woodley and Earley, Winnersh, and Dinton pastures, and between Woodley and Reading.  They will also help direct our Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, which will come forward for a second round of consultation with residents this autumn.

“The funding will support training and upskilling staff to help create more segregated cycleways in our designs, meeting the new Government standards where possible.”

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Planners were criticised this Spring for failing to introduce segregated cycleways in the council’s plan for the South Wokingham Distributor Road, which involves building a link road between a new development in south east Wokingham with the Tesco superstore in Finchampstead Road to the west.

Bracknell Forest Council did receive £181,800 from a separate fund called the Active Travel Fund. The council’s Active Travel Fund Consultation Plan states the £181,800 was not enough to  deliver all the active travel measures it bid for, but has allowed it to begin building two new toucan crossings, one in Binfield Road and one in Forest Road.

Yet Wokingham Borough Council appears to have received a substantially more amount of money from the Active Travel Fund. In March this year, the council announced it had been awarded  £576,650, which will be used to enhance travel in the borough.

It is unclear how much money Bracknell Forest Council will receive from the  Local Authority Capability Fund  when further funding is allocated.