Dozens of new cycle lanes and safety measures as councils set out their schemes for spending national cycling funding

Dozens of new cycle paths are to be built around the country as councils prepare to spend their share of the £107 million Cycle Safety funding announced by the Transport Minister Norman Baker.

All the money will be spent in the next year, and the design and £40 million is earmarked to that the layout of roads at 78 locations across the country will be improved.

In Cranfield, Central Bedfordshire Council is to spend £191,000 on a high quality, off-road cycle route connecting the village with Cranfield University and Technical Park. This will avoid fast main roads and will hopefully be ready by summer.

Councillor Nigel Young, Executive Member for Sustainable Communities, Strategic Planning and Economic Development, told Bedfordshire News: “This is absolutely fantastic news! The route has been a longstanding ambition of Central Bedfordshire Council and the Parish Council, as well as local residents and the University’s staff and students.

“At the moment cyclists travelling between the village and the University have two options for their journey, neither of which is ideal. Both routes skirt the perimeter of Cranfield Airfield and are intimidating to cyclists because of fast traffic. This route will go alongside Airport Way and will be traffic-free; offering safe, sustainable transport options to those riding for work, learning or leisure.”

“We’ll start as soon as we can to get it in place this summer and have worked hard with the University to ensure that it goes right into the centre of the campus.”

Near Barnsley, the Trans-Pennine trail and the Elsecar Greenway are to have a £400,000 cash injection to improve safety.

Like the Cranfield track, it will be be co-funded by the Department for Transport and the local council.

In Hull, £868,000 of Government funding will help cyclists travelling between Hull and Leven stay safe. New cycle lanes will be created along the A1035 and the A1174 which will create a traffic-free link.

It's an investment that is urgently needed, as 12 cyclists have been killed or seriously injured on the route in the last five years.

East Riding Council leader Councillor Stephen Parnaby told This is Hull and East Riding: "When complete, this development will provide a continuous and safe off-road cycle lane between Hull, Dunswell, Woodmansey, Beverley, Tickton and Leven.

"It will complement similar cycling infrastructure developments along the A164 and those included in the Beverley Integrated Transport Plan."

And across the East Midlands there is to be investment of over £2.8 million, covering the counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

A government grant of £1.5 million is to be topped up by the councils to form the total amount.

Derby Road in Long Eaton will be improved and the roundabout at the junction of Market Place will be replaced with traffic signals.

Mike Ashworth from Derbyshire County Council told the BBC: "We hope these measures will help reduce the number of accidents in the area and give people more confidence to choose cycling as a means of travel."

The work in Nottingham will focus on Dunkirk roundabout and Mansfield Road and Forest Road, and in Leicestershire, the biggest beneficiary of the fund, safety work will take place on Newarke Street, Southgate and converting St Nicholas Place to Jubilee Square.