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More government funding for sustainable transport

Seven councils are sharing nearly £1m of extra government funding for their sustainable transport schemes, including those encouraging cycling, walking and public transport use.

The £900,000 tops up cash made available through the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

Transport minister Baroness Kramer – who is interviewed in the August/September edition of PSE – said: “We’re serious about making transport better for the environment, whether that is by cutting carbon or improving air quality. Encouraging more people to cycle or use public transport makes sense for local economies, because it reduces congestion and improves public health. That’s why we’re providing record levels of funding for communities wanting to make their transport networks cleaner and greener.

“Today’s announcement comes hot on the heels of the £440m we announced for sustainable transport schemes last month. This additional money will help communities to build on their success and see even more people making new travel choices.”

That £440m is made up of £64m of DfT funding, with the rest coming from Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) via the local growth fund, and match-funding. A list of every successful scheme is here.

The seven local authorities who have got extra money today are:

• Bournemouth Borough Council: £50,000 for design of a high quality cycle route serving schools and employment centres

• Dorset County Council: £64,000 towards plans for 20mph zones in Weymouth and Dorchester town centres

• Hertfordshire County Council: £130,000 towards a raft of schemes encouraging greater uptake of cycling, walking and bus use

• Leicestershire County Council: £160,000 for a range of schemes including better information at bus stops, encouraging parents to leave the car at home for the school run and loaning mopeds to jobseekers to help them find and access work

• Lincolnshire County Council: £350,000 to build on successful projects encouraging more people to choose public transport, cycling or walking to get about

• Shropshire Council: £84,000 for schemes to promote cycling, walking and public transport

• Wokingham Borough Council: £62,000 to extend a programme to help households plan more sustainable travel

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