More than 80 schemes to encourage residents to walk and cycle more in Cambridgeshire have been given the go-ahead.
The improvements are part of a government drive to adapt the road networks as the nation has been walking and cycling more during the pandemic.
Among the schemes which have been given the green light is a £70,000 investment in cycle parking for towns and villages in East Cambridgeshire.
Ely and Soham each gain £50,000 to investigate improvements to traffic flow around the city and town centre and to put in place changes such as new one-way streets and cycle lanes.
Early schemes considered changes to individual streets, but due to the narrow medieval roads and the funding requirements it became clear one-way systems would need to be considered.
In Wisbech, the Freedom Bridge roundabout will also be improved for pedestrians and cyclists at a cost of £30,000.
Meanwhile, £20,000 will be spent in March and Whittlesey to improve pedestrian and cycling between the town centres and residential areas and schools.
Funding for the projects was approved by Cambridgeshire County Council’s Highways and Transport Committee earlier in the month and comes from the government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund.
Cllr Ian Bates, the committee’s chair, said: “I am delighted that the Highways and Transport Committee agreed to these forward-thinking proposals.
“The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live, work and travel – and this means Cambridgeshire’s road network must adapt too.”
He added: “I am proud that Cambridgeshire is leading change in these unprecedented times.”
The county council says many of the schemes will be implemented using Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs) which enable alterations to road layouts to be made more quickly.
These also allow for the public to comment on the changes as they are taking place, before they become permanent.
A six-week consultation process will be held for major schemes, such as those proposing road closures.
In total, 87 schemes across Cambridgeshire were given the green light and will be delivered by the end of spring 2021.
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