Llan to benefit from £1m county funding boost

Llangollen will benefit from £1 million of Welsh Government funding secured by Denbighshire County Council in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

The council is to get £981,000 through the Local Sustainable Transport Covid Response Fund to provide improved access to town centres and schools for pedestrians and cyclists and facilitate social distancing in public spaces and on public transport.

This is seen as especially important as people return to town centres as non-essential shops re-open.

The lockdown period has seen increases in the numbers of people walking and cycling and many of the measures proposed will further encourage people to choose these modes of transport by providing measures such as wider pavements.

Funding has been secured for projects in Llangollen, Rhyl, Ruthin and Denbigh, as well as outside schools throughout the county.

Projects include the reallocation of road space for pedestrians and cyclists by introducing one-way systems and making spaces outside schools safer for social distancing and reducing the number of car journeys outside schools.

Cllr Brian Jones, Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment, said: “The coronavirus pandemic has led to unprecedented changes that are affecting all aspects of our lives, including transport.

“We welcome this funding from the Welsh Government which will help provide a number of schemes throughout Denbighshire.

“The council has been looking at how we can safely reopen our town centres for visitors and this includes making sure there is space for people to adhere to social distancing and to offer alternative forms of transport by making walking and cycling easier.

“We have a number of plans for the county and we will be seeking feedback from members of the public following their introduction. We will also be carrying out extensive monitoring of the projects we implement in order to fully assess their effectiveness.

“By making our town centres more accessible for active travel we can help support the county’s businesses, improve air quality in our towns, help protect the environment and improve the health of our residents.”

These projects form part of the overall work that the council is undertaking in town centres to ensure social distancing guidelines are met. 

This will include signage to remind people to maintain social distance, working with retailers to facilitate the management of queues for their shops, minor works to remove or relocate non-essential street furniture, pedestrian one way systems where considered necessary, enhanced cleaning regimes and amendments to parking areas.