Bristol is one of 10 areas across the UK to receive extra cash from the government to help beat congestion on the city’s roads.

Transport Minister Sadiq Khan announced today that Bristol would receive an extra £825,000 to encourage more people to get out of their cars.

The money was awarded by the Department for Transport after journey times in the city fell by 13% between 2006 and  2008/09 – beating targets set four years ago.

The money will be spent on encouraging people to walk and cycle to work, or use public transport. Work will also be carried out to improve junctions to help traffic flow and shorten bus journey times.

The cash comes from the government’s Congestion Performance Fund, which was set up to help England’s 10 largest urban areas to tackle causes of congestion on their major routes.

All 10 areas will receive £19.7m between them for beating their targets – with West Yorkshire receiving £2million and Nottingham and Leicester receiving more than £1.6m.

The West of England Partnership (WoEP) will be the conduit for the money and comes as a new boost for the organisation, after North Somerset Council yesterday agreed to work with Bristol City Council to apply for a Transport and Works Act Order to construct the Bus Rapid Transit scheme.

The agreement is seen as a small, but important, stage to progress the £47.8m scheme from Ashton Vale to Bristol city centre and Temple Meads.

Julia Dean, a spokeswoman from the West of England Partnership rapid transport team, told the Bristol Evening Post: “Even though it is a small step it is an important one and we are very excited that North Somerset Council voted in favour.”

The announcement comes in advance of a parliamentary report which is expected to say that more work needs to be done to improve the region’s transport infrastructure.

bristol247.com