LEWISHAM and Greenwich are to receive multi-million pound cash boosts to improve local transport.

Lewisham is to get £3.7 million and Greenwich £3.6 million in a bid to make the boroughs safer, greener and easier to get around, the Mayor of London has announced.

Projects funded in Lewisham for 2008/09 include:

  • £578,000 for the London Cycle Network. Also more cycle lanes, including in Brockley Rise and Whitburn Road, and better facilities for cyclists.
  • £215,000 for School Travel Plans.
  • £80,000 for cycle training for local residents.
  • £150,000 for a traffic scheme on Sydenham Road.

And in Greenwich:

  • £500,000 to improve bus services and journey times through Woolwich town centre.
  • £500,000 for more cycle lanes and better facilities for cyclists in Greenwich as part of the London Cycle Network.
  • £250,000 for 20mph zones.
  • £288,000 to reconstruct the carriageway on the Lewisham Road (A2211).
  • £100,000 to support the borough's design and development work for a town centre scheme by General Gordon Square in Woolwich.

The funding is part of the record-breaking five-year £792m programme for local transport schemes included in the Transport for London £10bn Investment Programme.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said he hoped the initiatives will "make the daily journeys of people in Lewisham and Greenwich safer, greener and more accessible, whether they are travelling by public transport, by car, on foot or by bike.

"Thanks to extra investment in local transport schemes, cycling has increased by 83 per cent since 2000 and more than 1,600 school travel plans have been approved which encourage and enable more children and their parents to walk to school."

London's Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said: "Local people feel strongly about transport in their area and this funding will make a real difference to their experience each day.

"The investment will fund both large and small projects that will improve bus journeys and access to public transport, reduce congestion, improve the environment and promote a healthier lifestyle."