£3.25 million awarded to Low Carbon Travel and Transport Projects

A total of five organisations in Scotland have been awarded £3.25 million from the European Regional Development Fund to develop active travel or low carbon transport hubs.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf announced today that five projects across Scotland have been successful in bidding for finance from the European ERDF to support innovative hubs which support the shift towards active or low carbon modes of travel and transportation.

The ERDF Low Carbon Travel and Transport (LCTT) Challenge Fund was launched in December last year.

Open to public, third and community sector organisations, it is aimed at supporting the development of active travel and low carbon transport hubs.

It fund will deliver Transport Scotland’s objectives of encouraging greater every day journeys to be taken by walking, cycling and public transport as well as increasing the proportion of ultra-low emission vehicles on Scotland’s roads.

One of the five projects will be undertaken by Falkirk Council and its delivery partner Forth Environment Link. They will develop a public-facing active travel hub in Falkirk town centre and a low carbon vehicle hub at Falkirk Community Stadium. The Project will provide 20 electric vehicle charging bays and a 168-bay solar array to harness energy for charging at the low carbon hub.

The active travel hub will provide public access to bikes, e-bikes, facilities, maintenance equipment, education, and public bike share.

These will be combined with measures to change behaviour to encourage healthier, greener travel choices.

Mr Yousaf, said: “The ERDF Low Carbon Travel and Transport Challenge Fund provides a fantastic opportunity to help individuals, communities and our population benefit from sustainable and greener travel options.

“I am delighted that five projects will benefit from ERDF funding to deliver active travel and low carbon transport hubs. The Scottish Government is committed to increasing the number of journeys made by active travel and public transport as well as freeing Scotland’s towns, cities and communities from the damaging emissions of petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles.

“The new hubs will contribute towards bringing us closer to these goals by enabling walking and cycling to be the norm for everyday journeys. By creating hubs that will also provide the facilities to support the uptake of low emission vehicles, such as electric vehicle charging points and hydrogen refuelling stations, this will lead to improvements in air quality and contribute towards meeting our ambitious greenhouse gas targets.”

Matthew Eastwood, head of transport Scotland at Energy Saving Trust, said: “I’m delighted that these innovative projects are to receive funding as they will provide local communities with greater access to active travel options and low carbon transport. Projects such as these can play an important role in supporting the Scottish Government’s aims of reducing transport carbon emissions, improving air quality and encouraging healthy and active travel. We look forward to supporting the successful organisations as the projects progress.”