Active Travel England is investing 32.9 million GBP in establishing a national network of experts who will work with local communities to enhance high streets and make them more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists.
This fund was launched on 2 January 2023 by Active Travel Minister Jesse Norman. It is expected to create up to 1,300 new green jobs across England.
Active Travel Minister Jesse Norman said:Leaving the car and walking and cycling instead is an easy way to get fit, save money and reduce your carbon footprint.
Better designed schemes, which take into account the views of local people will help deliver improvements that have widespread local support.
Skills training and local community engagement will help local authorities to make active travel an attractive choice for getting around.
This investment will support authorities in training local engineers and planners who will then conduct engagement and consultation sessions with their local communities.
In addition, the funding will be used to improve travel choices for a wider demographic by actively engaging under-represented groups and providing them with cycle training and bike rental schemes.
National Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman, said:If we want millions more people to walk, wheel and cycle to schools, shops and workplaces, we need to give them what they need to make the switch.
Delivering schemes that offer an attractive choice takes technical skill, local knowledge, and community involvement. Survey after survey has shown people want the choice to be able to use the car a bit less and would love their kids to have more transport independence, so we aim to ensure they are at the heart of creating the right solution for their area. 2023 is the year Active Travel England will start to make that happen.
