Street clutter bumped off in �4.1million masterplan

Sanchez Manning AFTER years of putting in traffic signs and road humps, the council has devised a radical transport masterplan that will see many of them taken out. Westminster is to receive �4.1million from Transport for London (TfL) to spend on streamli

Sanchez Manning

AFTER years of putting in traffic signs and road humps, the council has devised a radical transport masterplan that will see many of them taken out.

Westminster is to receive �4.1million from Transport for London (TfL) to spend on streamlining streets, encouraging the use of electric cars, cycle schemes and creating extra parking bays.

The funds will come from TfL's London Implementation Plan (LIP) for 2010/11.

Cash will be used to focus on schemes to improve journey time reliability for all road users, including removing road humps and reducing traffic signals within the City of Westminster, the council says in a report.

A total of �350,000 will pay for Westminster's Neat Streets plan aimed at cutting street clutter.

The initial focus will be on the borough's 400 most important streets but every street will be checked to see how it can be tidied, the report says.

In addition, �280,000 will pay for implementing the controversial Traffic Management Act 2004.

This law strips the Metropolitan Police of many of its traffic policing functions and hands them to local authorities. For example, if a motorist drives the wrong way up a one-way street, it will now be the council's job to charge them instead of the police.

Further funds will be made available for Smarter Travel, with �501,600 for "travel awareness, electric vehicle and innovative projects".

And a further �230,000 will be made available for Electric Motion, "expanding the number of free electric charging points, carrying out further pollution checks, assessing traffic light phasing, training drivers to drive more smoothly and investigations into powered two-wheeler emissions".

Westminster will also look towards reducing the use of cars for journeys to school and �20,000 will be spent on transport education "to reduce casualties within known vulnerable groups".

Some �181,600 will go on school travel plan schemes - including skid-resistant surfaces at school crossings.

Cycle training will get �90,000 for its free cycle training programme, which trained 400 adults and 500 children this year.

The report states: "Given that the trend for cycling continues to increase in central London, it is expected that the need for this programme will increase.

"The London Cycle Hire Scheme will introduce a separate and more high profile training programme for new users on request."

Westminster's city management boss Cllr Danny Chalkley said: "Much progress has been made to improving the City of Westminster's street environment and provision of transport within the borough.

"However some challenges remain and we are working with the Mayor to deliver a large range of transport schemes."

He continued: "The council looks forward to continuing to work with the Mayor and TfL to ensure that the proposals contained within the LIP are delivered and that Westminster has a transport system befitting the heart of a world city, servicing the needs of residents, business and visitors.