The government announced this week that following a successful bid submission last Autumn, the region has been awarded £1.4 million of funding from Active Travel England’s Capability Fund. The funding will be used to drive well thought-through local plans, co-created with the communities who will use them.

The North East’s funding allocation is part of Active Travel England’s wider £32.9 million investment to create a national network of experts to work with communities, enhance high streets and make regional roads safer for everyone. Active Travel England are the government’s executive agency responsible for making walking, wheeling and cycling the preferred choice for everyone to get around in England.

The Chair of the North East Joint Transport Committee, Cllr Martin Gannon, said: “We are delighted with the news that we are set to receive £1.4m investment from the new government body Active Travel England to help us to bring forward an ambitious programme of active travel schemes within the North East. 

“The grant will be used to boost local authority resource to design schemes and develop plans to deliver high quality cycling, walking and wheeling infrastructure across the region, in line with the pipeline of schemes stemming from the North East Transport Plan. These projects will help to decarbonise travel in the North East, improve the health and wellbeing of local people, as well as boosting the economy.

“We’re excited to announce that part of the funding will be used to deliver a behaviour change campaign to get more people walking, cycling and wheeling as well as a series of training events designed to help to boost public confidence in cycling and active travel as a whole. The events will include cycle training and Dr. Bike maintenance classes- a continuation of the activity funded through previous tranches of the Active Travel Fund, under the regional brand, ‘Go Smarter, Go Active’.

“Coincidentally, we received news of the funding announcement in the same week that we launched our public consultation around the region’s new draft Active Travel Strategy. This funding signals a brilliant start to what we hope will be a long and productive relationship between the North East and Active Travel England, and the delivery of many local schemes that will help to make walking, cycling and wheeling the natural first choice for journeys in our region.”