Council chiefs have agreed a plan for spending £5.5 million on improving roads and transport in Stoke-on-Trent over the next year. Stoke-on-Trent City Council's local transport and active travel plan includes 26 individual projects involving highways, footpaths and bridges which are due to be started or continued in 2024/25.
The list includes traffic calming measures at six schools across the city to improve safety for pupils at drop-off and pick-up times. There are also plans to repair bridges, install new pedestrian crossings and tackle 'rat running'.
Another 15 projects are listed in the 'transport forward programme' which do not yet have a confirmed start date. Government funding for the 2024/25 plan is made up of £2.118 million from the Active Travel Fund and Integrated Transport Block, another £2.029 million from the Maintenance Block and £1.321 million from the Potholes Fund.
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Council-funded schemes in 2024/25 include £3.8 million on road resurfacing and £3.418 million on improvements to the Waterloo Road/Cobridge Road junction.
A council report states: "The transport network is essential to almost every aspect of our daily lives. Very little happens without us needing to walk, cycle, use public transport or a private vehicle.
"Schemes proposed are designed to aid walking, cycling, expedite the flow of traffic and to reduce harm to highway safety in some instances."
Individual projects are included in the plan based on a number of criteria, such as technical surveys, input from ward councillors and residents, and the council's legal requirements as a highways authority. Cabinet members voted to rubberstamp the local transport plan at their meeting last week.
Here are the schemes included in the 2024/25 local transport plan:
Ward | Location | Description |
Hanford, Newstead and Trentham | Trentham Road | Apply technology to improve junction operation |
Blurton | Langland Drive | Target 'rat running' and improve environment for residents |
Penkhull and Springfields | A34 Godwin Way/Clayton Lane | Improve junction operation and install pedestrian crossings |
Penkhull and Springfields | The Croft | Improve road safety with potential speed limit, one-way and footway. |
Lightwood North and Normacot | Lightwood Road | Traffic calming measures |
Burslem | Scotia Road | Traffic calming measures |
Meir Park | Lysander Road link | Reduce peak hour congestion |
Longton and Meir Hay South | Kendrick Street Footpath Improvements | Improve pedestrian connectivity |
Bucknall and Eaton Park | Arbourfield Drive | Replace defective waterproof membrane, with concrete, joint and brickwork repair, review post tension bridge beams |
Baddeley, Milton and Norton | Millrise Road | Replace defective waterproof membrane, with concrete, joint and brickwork repair and painting bridge deck |
Little Chell and Stanfield | Queens Avenue Bridge | Replacement of defective waterproofing membrane, joints and extensive concrete repairs |
Hanley Park, Joiner's Square and Shelton | Eastwood Road Bridge | Replacement of defective waterproofing membrane, with joint and brickwork repairs and painting to bridge of deck |
Great Chell and Packmoor | Packmoor Ormiston Academy | Proposals to restrict vehicular traffic during school drop-off and pick-up times, creating a pedestrian and cycle friendly zone. |
Birches Head and Northwood | Grove Academy
| As above |
Hanley Park, Joiner's Square and Shelton | St Marks Primary
| As above |
Dresden and Florence | Belgrave St Bartholomews Academy | As above |
Trent Vale and Oak Hill | Oakhill Primary School Street | As above |
Little Chell and Stanfield | Little Chell Lane Greenway Crossing | Improve walking and cycling connectivity |
Hanford, Newstead and Trentham | Trentham Road/Sir Stanley Matthews Way/Alderflat Drive | Capacity improvement, resilience and pedestrian facilities review. |
Baddeley, Milton and Norton | Milton Rd | Widening of Milton Rd between Redhills Rd and the traffic signals at the narrow single lane section to the south removing encroachment onto the footway to improve pedestrian safety. |
Meir Hay North, Parkhall and Weston Coyney | Park Hall Road | Speed suppression measures |
Hanford, Newstead and Trentham | Blurton Road/Longton Hall Road Roundabout | Speed suppression measures |
Burslem | Westport Road | Measures to address road safety concerns |
Various | Disabled access measures | Citywide dropped kerbs and tactile paving programme to improve city accessibility by disabled and vulnerable people. |
Dresden and Florence | Rosslyn Road One Way System | Measures seeking to address high volume HGV usage |
Birches Head and Northwood | St George & St. Martins Catholic Academy | Proposals to restrict vehicular traffic during school drop-off and pick-up times, creating a pedestrian and cycle friendly zone. |