Applications open today for a share of £1 million funding for
schemes that make it safer and easier for people to walk, wheel
and cycle across our region.
, the
Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, launched the fund at Oatlands
Junior School in Harrogate, where a range of innovative measures
has led to more than 90 per cent of children walking, wheeling or
cycling to school.
These include a School Street that has transformed a congested
road into a safer space where up to 100 people join a fortnightly
bike bus. Other initiatives include a bike library, park and
stride, 20mph speed limits and regular Dr Bike sessions to keep
cycles in top condition.
, the
Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said: “Walking,
wheeling and cycling should be part of a safer, happier school
run. It's fun, it's healthy, and it's precious quality time for
children at the start and end of the day.
“That's why I'm kickstarting a revolution in active travel.
Through the Mayor's Active Travel Fund, I'm putting power into
the hands of local people to create safer routes to build
healthier, greener, and better connected places for generations
to come.
“We're backing communities with this £1 million investment,
supporting practical, local initiatives that make a real
difference on our streets and outside our school gates.”
The funding forms part of a wider £4 million programme to double
investment in walking, wheeling and cycling across the region.
More than £2 million is already available to public bodies,
including local councils, with successful applications due to be
announced in the next few weeks.
Rhiannon Letman-Wade, Active Travel Commissioner for York
and North Yorkshire, said: “The schemes running in
Harrogate are exactly the kind of projects we want to see more of
across the region. They show how a community can secure
much-needed improvements and create safer streets for children
and the wider community.
“This fund is about empowering communities to take the lead,
supported by targeted investment, so that together we can provide
opportunities for people across our city, towns, rural and
coastal areas to make more affordable and sustainable travel
choices.”
The fund will support initiatives that:
• Improve walking routes
• Increase accessibility, such as installing dropped kerbs
• Build skills and confidence through cycle training or safe
spaces to learn
• Encourage behaviour change, such as School Streets, bike
buses and park and stride schemes
• Provide secure cycle storage
Community organisations, businesses, charities and schools can
apply before the deadline on Friday 10 April. Full guidance and
an application form is available at
yorknorthyorks-ca.gov.uk/project/mayors-active-travel-fund/
The Mayor's Active Travel Fund is part of the Mayor's £7 million
Moving Forward campaign, which aims to create a healthier and
more thriving York and North Yorkshire through investment in
schemes that support movement, health and connection to the
outdoors.
