Decision details

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Place and Transport seeking approval for the receipt of funding to deliver a 18 month Travel Demand Management Programme for the M27 and M3.

(i)  To administer and monitor the use of the Highways England grant funding to support the Council’s commitment to reduce emissions and improve air quality within the Southampton area;

(ii)  To accept funding totalling £1.70M awarded by Highways England for 2019/20 and 2020/21;

(iii)  To approve expenditure of the Highways England grant funding for the delivery of Travel Demand Management measures;

(iv)  To add £0.36M to the Place & Transport capital programme to be funded by grant;

(v)  Delegate authority to the Director of Growth to enter into a Funding Agreement with Highways England to deliver the TDM measures set out in the report.

Southampton City Council has been successful in securing funding to contribute towards mitigating the impacts of the smart motorways construction works whilst encouraging and enabling sustainable travel in Southampton and surrounding areas. The £1.70M funding from Highways England will resource a programme of workplace travel planning, strategic communications and temporary additional transport options for local businesses that will support modal shift away from single occupancy private car use to cycling, walking and public transport. This will contribute towards reducing congestion and harmful emissions and has scope to deliver benefits across the Solent region.

Not to approve the receipt of grant funding from Highways England.  This would result in not being able to carry out the proposed mitigation work as outlined in the associated proposal to Highways England. Failure to accept the funding to carry out the work will also reduce the opportunity to work with Highways England on sustainable travel initiatives in the future.