Active Travel England announces £101 million investment to boost cycling and walking nationwide.
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
Communities across England are to be given access to £101 million of government funding for high-quality walking and cycling routes, improving the quality of local public engagement for new walking and cycling schemes, free e-cycle loans, expanding trials of side road zebra crossings and developing new active travel routes in National Parks, government agency Active Travel England (ATE) has announced.
Image: Stan Petersen from Pixabay
The funding will enable local authorities to deliver walking and cycling schemes and dedicated funding has also been issued to help councils undertake proper consultation with local communities. The ATE says that, together, these measures will unlock sustainable transport options for millions more people across England and give people the choice to travel safely on foot or by cycle. It will particularly benefit people living in deprived or rural areas with almost half of funding going to deprived communities.
The schemes, funded by ATE, have been designed to benefit all communities, and local authorities will work closely with residents to ensure they are attractive and inclusive for all. Safety and accessibility are at the heart of the newly funded projects to give even more people the choice to travel by walking or cycling.
National Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman, said:
“This funding is not only going to give millions of people safer and more enjoyable ways to get to school, the shops and workplaces but it will also help local authorities to work with communities to come up with plans for future projects that will make the most difference, providing excellent value for money.
We’re not just talking towns and cities. A lot of the funding is going to rural areas, and we’re funding National Parks to develop new walking and cycling routes. This money is about innovation, too, and we’re excited to work with the West Midlands and Greater Manchester to trial and assess simpler zebra crossings and technologies to assist visually impaired people.”
Roads Minister, Guy Opperman, said:
“We’re committed to ensuring people can travel in the way that works best for them, which is why we’re investing over £100 million for over 100 kilometres of new walking and cycling routes, improved access to our national parks, and e-cycle loan schemes.
This funding is not just an investment in new infrastructure, but in communities that will benefit from the social mobility and health benefits that improved and new walking and cycling routes will bring.”
Local authorities will receive funding for projects in areas from Southampton up to the North-East. Investment from Active Travel Fund 4 Extension alone will deliver almost 70 miles of new or improved walking and cycling routes, 154 new crossings and 47 safer junctions. This will give millions more people the option to walk, wheel or cycle, improving their health, reducing air pollution and making streets safer for all.
The £101 million funding package is made up of:
- £45.7 million of capital funding awarded to local authorities as part of Active Travel Fund 4 Extension funding
- £51.5 million of revenue funding awarded to local authorities as part of the annual Capability Fundfor 2023/24 and 2024/25
- £2.4 million to local authorities and Cycling UK for e-cycle loan programmes.
- £1 million to National Parks
- £200,000 to West Midlands Combined Authority to trial simple zebra crossings on side roads.
Four authorities will also receive a share of £2.4 million funding to pilot free e-cycle loan schemes in their areas, following a national trial which saw people take out a free month-long e-cycle loan. This will give people and businesses the opportunity to try e-cycles in South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Leicester and Luton and Dunstable. Removing the cost barrier helps people see if an e-cycle works for their lifestyle or their business.
A further £1 million will support the development of walking and cycling routes in England’s National Parks. This will enable authorities to develop plans for better links between rural towns and villages, with an aim of unlocking better transport choice for people living in and visiting rural areas.