Government announces plans for new local sustainable transport fund
Wed 22 September 2010
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Transport minister Norman Baker has announced plans for the introduction of a new fund to promote local sustainable transport initiatives. The amount of funds available will be announced in the spending review.
The fund will challenge local transport authorities outside London to develop packages of measures that support economic growth and reduce carbon in their communities as well as delivering cleaner environments, improved safety and increased levels of physical activity.
It will be for local partnerships – local transport authorities working with their communities – to identify the right solutions for their areas which are financially robust and sustainable in the long term.
Measures could include encouraging walking and cycling, initiatives to improve integration between travel modes and end-to-end journey experiences, better public transport and improved traffic management schemes.
The Government also announced that, in line with its localism agenda, it intends to pool the centrally funded local transport grants to create fewer but larger funding streams which are largely formula based.
Full details of the scheme will be published later in the year.
Norman Baker said: "It is at a local level that most can be done to change patterns of behaviour and encourage more sustainable travel, especially for short journeys.
"And in an environment of tighter budgets and greater local flexibility, the Government is determined to reduce bureaucracy and make local transport funding more efficient.
“That is why we intend to pool the myriad of centrally funded local transport grants, to create fewer but larger funding streams, largely formula based, and a new Local Sustainable Transport Fund."
The LowCVP and Energy Saving Trust Community Challenge awarded cash prizes from £500 to £5,000 for community based projects to introduce lower carbon travel, or low carbon alternatives to travel in July this year. There were three categories in the competition: Vehicles and Fuels, Smarter/Eco-driving and Reducing Car Use. LowCVP will be sharing the learnings from the initiative with the DfT team taking forward the development of the local sustainable transport fund.
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