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Walking and cycling charity Sustrans Scotland is launching a redesigned infrastructure fund, Places for Everyone, today.
The fund is supported by Transport Scotland to invest in projects that create safer, more attractive streets and places for people to walk, cycle and wheel in.
The new Places for Everyone fund is designed to ‘unify and simplify’ three funding streams, Community Links, Community Links Plus and Safer Routes to Schools, into one programme with one application process. The same amount of funding and support will be available, however, the Sustrans team has said it wants to ensure that there is a simpler application process for partners, also giving more flexibility to Sustrans officers to allocate support and funding where it will have the most impact.
Sustrans provides funding as well as knowledge and expertise to work in partnership on projects of various levels, from building protected pathways, to working on the transformation of whole neighbourhoods that prioritise people, to making the school run safer and more convenient.
Matthew Macdonald, head of project delivery infrastructure for Sustrans Scotland, said: “Places for Everyone is an important step in achieving clarity, consistency and simplicity so that our funding is accessible for anyone that needs it. There’s just one application process and we’ll do the hard work behind the scenes to identify the funding that matches your ambitions.
“This rebrand is also an opportunity to underline the experience, expertise and partnership-approach that is at the core of how Sustrans works. Our success isn’t based on simply sharing funds but also in sharing knowledge.
“Infrastructure isn’t just new paths and cycleways it is about how places prioritise people movement over vehicular access. We want walking and cycling to be accessible to all providing infrastructure that makes it easier to change life-long travel habits and a chance to create healthier, happier places to live, work and play.”
Places for Everyone opens for applications on 13th March for funding, knowledge and expertise to improve walking and cycling routes, conditional on applicants matching the funding provided.
