Seven Scottish centres share sustainable travel grant

13 August 2008
 
Seven Scottish towns and cities have been awarded £15M of funding to develop sustainable travel initiatives.

Barrhead, Kirkwall, Dumfries, Dundee, Kirkintilloch/ Lenzie, Larbert/Stenhousemir and Glasgow East End will use the money to develop a range of initiatives, such as free trial bus and rail passes, the development of better walking and cycling routes, and pedestrianised zones, in a bid to encourage people out of their cars.

A self-service bike rental scheme has been proposed in Dumfries and Dundee, based on successful models in Barcelona and Paris, where users pay an hourly rental fee before depositing the bike at any one of a number of interchanges across towns and cities.

Other ideas put forward by the seven authorities were car-sharing schemes, no car zones, school and workplace travel plans, as well as organised cycling and walking trips.

Transport minister, Stewart Stevenson, said such initiatives would help Scotland achieve its climate change target of reducing emissions by 80% by 2050.

Stevenson said: ‘These schemes will make a real difference, making transport choices cheaper, healthier, safer and greener.’ The three sustainable travel demonstration towns in England – Darlington, Peterborough and Worcester – have been cited as good examples, with impressive results.

In Peterborough, mini-solar panels which allow coloured lights to mark out paths across the city have been introduced, while Darlington has seen a 14% increase in public transport trips, a 29% increase in walking, and a 79% increase in cycling. The Scottish Government awarded £10M of the funding, while the remaining £5M came from the South West of Scotland Transport Partnership.

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