WORCESTERSHIRE County Council has now submitted its bid for the second allocation of £1.082m from the Emergency Active Travel Fund.

The proposals featured in the bid are supported by partners, including local district councils and the Canal and River Trust.

If successful, the Active Travel Fund will see several of improvements made in Redditch. This includes widening and upgrading the National Cycle Network 5 (NCN5) route through Redditch, from Greenlands to Abbeydale (Arrow Valley), plus upgrade of the Millers Trail to dual use (providing a direct link to the Abbey Stadium).

The council says the route is well used and links a large number of trip attractors with residential areas.

Linking to the Abbey Stadium will enable further connections to be made over Weights Lane to connect into the Bromsgrove to Redditch cycle route, providing a 'valuable' route for the whole urban area.

This will also link to a potential e-scooter bid from Redditch Borough Council.

The partners will work together to deliver these proposals across the county, once the funding is allocated.

Councillor Alan Amos, the cabinet member with responsibility for highways said: “We already have an excellent programme of Active Travel works underway and I am delighted that the City and District Councils fully support our bid; I am grateful for their support.

"Many of our schemes involve partnership working and we will be dependent on this joint working approach so that we can make things happen for the residents of Worcestershire by expanding our Active Travel facilities with permanent rather than temporary provision.”