Single funding stream for Scots active travel

ACTIVE TRAVEL

Sustrans Scotland has launched a new grant scheme for active travel infrastructure, funded by the Scottish Government.

The Places for Everyone fund replaces three existing programmes – Community Links, Community Links PLUS, and Safer Routes to School. 

It will fund projects such as: protected cycleways; public realm improvements; improved junctions/crossings; 20mph schemes with physical speed restrictions; and ‘filtered permeability’ schemes to prioritise active travel.

The three funds were worth £36m in 2018/19 and Sustrans expects the new fund to have a similar, or slightly higher, value in 2019/20. 

Bidding guidance published this week says: “Projects which significantly reallocate road space in favour of protected cycle ways, or otherwise restrict motor traffic, will be given priority over those projects which do not.” 

For active travel routes, it says: “Sustrans Scotland recommends as a default position that people on foot and those on bike do not share footways in urban settings [this does not apply to parks].”

The fund will provide varying levels of support to projects, depending on the type of scheme and what stage in the planning/delivery process it has reached. A Sustrans spokesman told LTT: “All construction projects need to be 50 per cent match funded apart from junctions that have been identified as having real or perceived safety issues, where we can offer 70 per cent match funding. Normally, Sustrans can fund design and feasibility at 100 per cent. We can also look at other local projects that a partner is working on and potentially match against some of them.”

The first funding round opened for applications this week but is only open to existing projects. Bids must be submitted by 1 May. The fund will reopen on 24 June for new projects, or those unable to meet the May deadline.

Projects must be delivered and grants drawn down by 15 May 2020, unless a multi-year delivery has been agreed.