Safe walking and cycling are among the top priorities for the Frome community, so Frome Town Council are delighted to have been awarded £117,000 by Somerset County Council for the School Street programme.
Last year, to aid the country’s recovery from Covid-19, the Government announced an Emergency Active Travel Fund to help councils introduce measures to re-allocate road space for cyclists and pedestrians and encourage people to walk and use cycles more. As part of longer-term projects, Somerset County Council have allocated a portion of their £457,900 fund to the School Street project in Frome which will be delivered by March 2022 – this provides plenty of time for the project to develop into a well-designed and considered plan.
The School Street scheme was initially proposed last summer, supporting schools and the local community to tackle air pollution, poor health and road danger by encouraging healthier lifestyles and active travel, leading to a cleaner and safer environment for everyone. The proposed scheme in Frome is an area that limits (but will not prohibit) vehicle access and prioritises walking and cycling around Oakfield, Trinity and Critchill schools. The Avanti school and Bright Stars Nursery should also benefit from the scheme. All residents who live in the School Street area will still be able to access their street without restriction, as will school staff, buses and people with disabilities.
Anne Hills, Leader of Frome Town Council said: “We are delighted to receive the School Street funding which builds on our Active Travel Challenge project. This investment into Frome to support the walking and cycling infrastructure will greatly improve some of the active travel safe routes to schools and enable us to fully incorporate the views and wishes of the community into the scheme at the same time. Ultimately this will lead to improved health and well-being in our youngsters who will benefit both from being able to actively travel safely but also from hugely improved air quality. This is a win/win for our entire community.”
The team at Frome Town Council are looking at how to move this project forward and would like input from the community to make it a success. The scheme will be co-designed by the stakeholders and there will be ongoing engagement and reviews of the scheme. For updates about active travel projects and to have an opportunity to be part of the stakeholder group who will help shape this please sign up to http://bit.ly/activetravelfrome
You can read more about Somerset’s Active Travel Fund and the projects they are supporting on the Somerset County Council website.
