Cambridgeshire and Peterborough secure £823,000 in active travel funding

An £823,000 boost to get people walking and cycling in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has been secured by the Combined Authority.

The active travel funding is a slice of £32.9million announced by the government today (January 2).

The Combined Authority and its delivery partners Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council will use the money for “technical expertise” to help more people get walking or cycling short distances.

This includes funding for an active travel advocate role at the Combined Authority. The advocate will work with the county council to push forward active travel schemes and create a website for residents.

The county council will use its share of the funding - £509,920 -to develop active travel projects from the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure plans and produce proposals for one, three, and 10-year projects.

The bid was piloted by the Combined Authority’s head of transport, Tim Bellamy, who said:

“This is fantastic news and I’m absolutely delighted that the Combined Authority, Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council will be working together to revolutionise the way transport works for the people of our county, to alter reliance on the private car, and to create a joined-up infrastructure for greener, cleaner and healthier travel.”

Cllr Alex Beckett, chair of the county council’s highways and transport committee, added: “I’m really pleased we’ve managed to secure £509,920 from the Capability and Ambition Fund via the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. This money will help us to not only develop more active travel schemes across the county, but to lead and embed the principles of active travel in everything we do - from creating a core team, to training, to planning, to designing and building.

“We’re also keen to look at the behavioural side of things, we want to encourage more people to cycle, offer cycle training to families and individuals in new towns and produce a programme of active travel activities.

“By working with partners and developers we want to ensure active travel is a part of everything we do. By doing so will support not only health and wellbeing but contribute to the county’s target of net zero by 2045.”

Once the infrastructure plans are developed - by the end of 2023 - the Combined Authority will bid for future government capital funding to deliver these projects.