Nine areas across England will share £7.5m to develop local congestion-busting schemes. The money comes from the second round of an £18m fund set up in advance of the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) - a pot of cash that will be used from 2008 to invest in schemes to tackle congestion.
Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander says it is important to act now to deal with congestion: "The first step on this path is helping local authorities to establish local pilots, which will inform our thinking on a national scheme."
Norfolk County Council (NCC) will receive £250,000 towards a £500,000 two-year study into options and public views of the ideas, starting in January. Adrian Gunson, NCC Cabinet member for planning and transportation, says: "It is right that we secure government funding for improvements to Norfolk's road system."
Six areas that received funding in the first round are being awarded further funds: Cambridgeshire; Durham County Council (for Durham City); Greater Manchester; Shropshire County Council (for Shrewsbury); Tyne and Wear; and the West Midlands conurbation.
Three new areas also bid successfully: Nottingham, Derby and Leicester and the surrounding counties; Reading; and Norfolk (for Norwich).
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