Cycle schemes to 'boost town's sustainable travel'

Plans for the new cycleways were approved by Hartlepool Borough Council

Three new cycling schemes have been given the go-ahead in a bid to boost sustainable travel.

The new Hartlepool cycleway projects will link the town centre to Catcote Road, the Waterfront and the Headland after the £9.2m plans were unanimously approved by councillors.

Plans include improvements to crossings, street lighting and traffic signals along the routes, with work due to start in September.

Council officers said the work, funded through the government, would provide "safer and more convenient connections between different parts of the borough and greater travel alternatives".

It should also encourage "further uptake for more sustainable forms of travel from new users," they added.

The schemes will be funded by Department for Transport money, administered by the Tees Valley Combined Authority.

Two consultations have already been carried out by the Labour-led council on schemes from the town centre to Catcote Road and the Waterfront.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a second consultation on the Headland route is due to take place soon.

Councillor Karen Oliver, chair of Hartlepool Borough Council's neighbourhood committee, said it was "quite a big piece of work" and "brilliant news".

"In terms of sustainable travel, it's fabulous," she added.