On the 15th February 2016 the Department for Transport (DfT) invited local authorities to bid for a share of £20 million revenue from the Sustainable Travel Transition Year (STTY) Fund.
On the 29th March 2016 the West of England authorities (Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire) submitted a bid to the DfT for £2.2M from the STTY fund. If granted, the funding will support a range of behaviour change initiatives and services, promoting sustainable travel in the region and building on the achievements of the Local Sustainable Travel Fund project.
The programme put forward by the West of England authorities focuses on two principal areas: ‘Stimulating Growth in Enterprise Areas (by supporting sustainable business growth and access to work and skills) and Transitions to Low Carbon Lifestyles, encouraging more active and healthier communities and schools.
The programme looks to exploit the premise that where there is a change in travel behaviour (i.e. through disruption to the highway, new transport options, people moving home) there is an opportunity to influence habits and embed sustainable travel patterns.
The full bid is provided below.
Sustainable Travel Transition Year Fund 16/17 West of England Bid Download pdf PDF approximately 14 M
The first week of the school summer holidays saw children and young people across the region take over 143,000 free bus journeys, thanks to investment from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority. Initial analysis suggests a jump of nearly a third in youngsters getting on the bus compared to the same time last year.
Detailed proposals for the new ‘Southern Gateway’ at Bristol Temple Meads station have been submitted as a planning application to Bristol City Council, in a major milestone for the Bristol Temple Quarter project.
Chris Boardman, the National Active Travel Commissioner, visited the West today – praising progress on walking, wheeling, and cycling, and welcoming our region’s plans for the future.
Construction of a new active travel route in southern Bath begins next week, marking a major milestone in the development of safer, greener and more connected routes in the city.
The West of England is set to invest a further £3.5 million in walking, cycling, and wheeling projects across the region.
