Improved bus routes, railway stations and cycle routes within four years if Barnsley cash bid succeeds

The money would open the door to improvements on the A61 heading north towards Wakefield, with more projects designed to improve traffic flow into the Dearne Valley on the A633 and A635.

Part of those improvements would be aimed at providing faster and more efficient bus services but off the carriageways work would also be done to make rail stations more attractive to potential travellers, as well as opening up new areas for ‘active travel’, either cycling or walking.

Money for the scheme could be available through a grants scheme being made available by the Department for Transport and Barnsley’s section forms part of a wider bid by the Sheffield City Region.

The Barnsley element has now been approved by the council’s ruling Cabinet, meaning it can go forwards for consideration.

If money is allocated, the schemes it will finance would have to be designed, approved and put in place within four years – a fast turn-around time for major local authority infrastructure projects.

Coun Chris Lamb told a meeting of his Cabinet colleagues: “Fundamental to our air quality ambitions are public transport and active travel.

“This would give the opportunity to make some significant differences in that respect.

“You can have an ambition to reach carbon neutral whenever you want but the important thing is to take carbon and other pollutants out of the air as quickly as we possibly can do. Schemes like this will give us that opportunity.”

Coun Margaret Bruff said education would need to be part of any packages to provide shared cycle and pedestrian routes to avoid conflict between the two, so pedestrians knew where they were meant to walk and cyclists knew they had to take care among other users of the same route.