More cash for transport projects in East Ayrshire

May 1 2009 by Ian Russell, Kilmarnock Standard

ANOTHER £800,000 is being poured into transport projects in East Ayrshire by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

This comes on top of the £560,000 already confirmed for the new Park and Ride scheme at Stewarton rail station.

The extra cash comes courtesy of SPT’s capital programme for 2009/10, with projects to be completed in the current financial year.

The bulk of the funding – £600,000 – will go towards installing real-time information systems on buses and at bus stops.

There’s a further £150,000 for safety enhancements on the A70 and A71 roads; £30,000 for a study into possible rail Park and Ride opportunities at Kilmarnock, Kilmaurs and Dunlop; and £20,000 for Kilmarnock bus stop and route improvements.

Another £25,000 is to fund a study into feasibility of a bus-based Park and Ride facility at Kilmarnock bus station.

Councillor Bobby McDill, SPT member for East Ayrshire, said: “SPT looked at a number of transport proposals from across Strathclyde and these are the ones deemed most beneficial for the travelling public of East Ayrshire.

“A chunk of this cash will go towards Park and Ride, which will reduce congestion as well as improving access to public transport.

“Other spending will improve the bus and motor travel experiences of locals.”