Scottish Government unveils £20m investment in active travel projects

THE Scottish Government has invested £20 million into an active travel fund that aims to make walking, wheeling and cycling easier than ever before.

In partnership with Transport Scotland, the money will go to local authorities, regional transport partnerships and national park authorities.

Active Travel Minister Patrick Harvie revealed the investment during a Scottish Parliament debate on active travel transformation, and pointed to the focus that will be on the nation when it hosts the UCI Cycling World Championships.

The Scottish Greens co-leader said: “Later this summer, Scotland will be the cycling centre of the world with the first-ever cycling world championships being hosted here. I want to make sure that the excitement around those elite events is matched by our ambition for everyday walking, wheeling and cycling.

Minister for Active Travel Patrick Harvie was delighted to announce the £20 million investment (Image: Transport Scotland)

“That is why I am just as excited about what we can do to deliver more safe, segregated and accessible infrastructure and make it easier for more people to do so.

“The is all part of our record funding for active travel in 2023/24 and we remain committed to investing at least £320 million or 10% of the transport budget for active travel by 2024/25.”

The Active Travel Transformation Fund is in place for 2023/24 and plan to deliver ambitious, construction-ready and active travel infrastructure schemes across Scotland.

The fund is intended to help local authorities build up capacity and pace to make sure increased investment is resulting in change on the ground.

Glasgow City Council transport convener Angus Millar said: “All of our projects aim to provide improved public spaces that support active travel and public transport so we can move away from relying on the vehicles that fuel climate change.

The new £20 million fund is on top of existing funds such as Cycling Walking Safer Routes (Image: Transport Scotland)

“The push to develop the Connecting Battlefield project, in particular, will ensure safer, segregated cycling infrastructure all the way from the community, along the South City Way and into the city centre.

“It is connections like these that are crucial for the growth of Glasgow’s City Network for active travel and making active travel and public transport more attractive options for everyday journeys across the city.”