DfT announces £113 million funding for green travel initiatives throughout England

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced details of 30 projects that will benefit from a combined total of £113 million in funding from central government under the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. The projects, many of which are aimed at promoting economic growth as well as sustainable travel options such as cycling, will also benefit from funding in excess of that amount from local authorities and other partners.

Announcing the funding, Local Transport Minister Norman Baker, whose brief also includes cycling, said: “The schemes we are funding today will benefit communities from Devon to Durham by cutting carbon emissions, reducing congestion and stimulating economic growth in these areas.

“By investing in these projects we are signalling our commitment to green growth which will help to kick-start economic activity in local areas while improving access to healthier forms of transport and addressing the problem of climate change.”

Among the projects that the DfT highlighted in its announcement are:

• Smarter Travel Slough which will reduce congestion on main roads in the rush hour by increasing the use of walking, cycling and public transport. This will improve air quality and health while supporting business efficiency.

• Walk to School Outreach will see Durham County Council working with national charity Living Streets and eight other councils to increase the number of children walking to school in 854 primary and 182 secondary schools nationally. The project aims to reduce congestion and improve health through exercise.

• Travel Torbay Regeneration Project will deliver a new fast ferry service between Torbay and Brixham which will see journey times cut by half, a new cycle route to encourage more low carbon journeys and a supporting package of employer based travel planning to help increase use of public transport.

• Access to Jobs, Training and Services in Stafford will aim to reduce congestion at peak times in Stafford by improving access to walking, cycling and public transport. People will be encouraged to reconsider their travel habits through offers of discounted bus travel and a new mobile cycle centre providing cyclists with information and advice as well as selling reconditioned bikes.

• Sustainable Transport Access to Tourism on the Isle of Wight will improve the island’s sustainable transport network to support its bid to become a leading destination for green tourism. This will include the provision of transport hubs and easily-accessible live travel information to help visitors and local people plan their journeys. Walking and cycling routes will also receive a boost.

Several projects were refused funding, although the reasons were not given. Those projects were TravelMatters (Gateshead Council), Routes to Prosperity (Halton Borouh Council), Nottinghamshire sustainable market towns (Nottinghamshire County Council), Smoothing the Path for Walking in Sandwell (Sandwell Metropolitan Borough) and Realising Business and Energy Efficient Travel in Southern England (Surrey County Council).

The full list of projects that had funding approved for 2012-15 under yesterday’s announcement, together with the amount the DfT is contributing, is shown below.

North East    

Durham County Council
Walk to School Outreach
£4.761 million
 
Northumberland County Council
South East Northumberland - Sustainable Transport to Work
£2.842 million

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (on behalf of Tees Valley Unlimited)
Improving Access to the Tees Valley Rail Network
£4.458 million
    
North West    

Cheshire East Council
Growing Smarter Travel Choices in Crewe
£3.509 million

Cheshire West and Chester Borough
Council Connect to Jobs
£4.578 million

Lancashire County Council 
Targeting Key Growth Corridors
£5.000 million

Warrington Borough Council
Warrington Sustainable Travel Triangle
£4.650 million
    
Yorkshire and The Humber    

East Riding of Yorkshire Council
'Get Moving Goole' - Goole Sustainable Transport Package
£0.943 million

Kingston upon Hull City Council
HULL S.T.E.E.R (Sustainable Travel to Employment, Education and for Recreation)
£1.870 million

North East Lincolnshire Council 
Travelling Towards a Vibrant Economy - 'Supporting Economic Growth in North East Lincolnshire'
£4.330 million
    
East Midlands    

Derby City Council
Derby: Better Ways to Work
£4.922 million

Leicestershire County Council
Smarter Travel for Business
£4.000 million

Lincolnshire County Council
Access LN6
£4.899 million
    
West Midlands    

Coventry City Council
Cycle Coventry
£3.496 million

Staffordshire County Council
Access to Jobs, Training and Services in Stafford
£4.239 million
    
East of England    
 
Cambridgeshire County Council 
Getting Cambridgeshire to Work; improving connectivity in key economic corridors in Cambridgeshire
£5.000 million

Central Bedfordshire Council
South Central Bedfordshire Smarter Routes to Employment
£4.954 million
    
South East    

Bracknell Forest Council
Town Centre regeneration with improved travel choices
£1.664 million

Isle of Wight Council
Sustainable transport access to tourism
£3.950 million

Portsmouth City Council
A Sustainable and Connected Centre – Supporting Portsmouth’s Retail, Tourism and Wider Economy
£5.000 million

Slough Borough Council *
Smarter Travel Slough (STS)
£4.305 million

Wokingham Borough Council
(1) Influencing Travel Behaviour in Wokingham
(2) Sustainable Chilterns Gateways
£2.750 million and £0.868 million
    
South West    

Bournemouth Borough Council 
BE SMArT – Bournemouth Economic & Sustainable Movement Around Town
£4.636 million

Cornwall Council *
Central and East Cornwall Sustainable Transport £2.299 million

Devon County Council
Access to Education
£4.999 million

Dorset County Council *
Weymouth – Dorchester Corridor
£2.409 million

Gloucestershire County Council
Cheltenham and Gloucester Sustainable Travel Programme
£4.969 million

Somerset County Council *
Moving Bridgwater Forward
£3.891 million

Torbay Council Travel
Torbay Regeneration Project
£2.750 million

* Partial funding approved

The DfT said that there are a number of projects being assessed where funding, if any, is still to be announced. Those are:

North East  

Middlesbrough Council
Sustainable Middlesbrough - A Place for Business
  
North West  

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
BwD CONNECT Project

St Helens Council
Mid Mersey Sustainable Cross Boundary Links
  
Yorkshire and The Humber  

North Yorkshire County Council
Harrogate and Knaresborough Sustainable Transport Package
 
North Yorkshire County Council (with North York Moors National Park Authority)
Boosting the tourism economy in Whitby and the Esk Valley
  
East Midlands  
Rutland County Council
Travel4Rutland
  
West Midlands 
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Stoking Employment
 
Stoke-on-Trent City Council  (with Staffordshire County Council)
North Staffordshire Sustainable Transport Package
  
East of England  

Bedford Borough Council
Access to Stations

Norfolk County Council
Connecting Norfolk to Growth
  
South East  

East Sussex County Council
East Sussex Coastal Towns – Better travel to Work & Education

East Sussex County Council (with South Downs National Park Authority) Travel Choices for Lewes

Hampshire County Council
Sustainable Transport Solutions for England’s two newest National Parks

West Berkshire Council
‘Connecting West Berkshire’ – keeping our economy and people moving

West Sussex County Council
West Sussex Sustainable Travel Towns  

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Sustainable Growth for Maidenhead
  
South West  

Somerset County Council 
Two Moors Sustainable Visitor Travel Project

Wiltshire Council
Improving Wiltshire’s Rail Offer