Our new Smarter Choices Smarter Places COP26 Legacy Fund has opened for applications.
The fund aims to encourage sustainable and active travel choices for everyday journeys. Grants are available for projects that increase walking, wheeling and cycling to reduce emissions and protect the environment. It can also fund climate change awareness events and projects that encourage people to use public transport for longer journeys, which has a huge impact on reducing carbon emissions.
Minister for Active Travel Patrick Harvie announced the new and continued support for active travel during the annual Cycling Scotland Conference, which this year had a COP26 focus on the role of cycling to help overcome inequalities, improve road safety and how it can help respond to the climate emergency. Mr Harvie said:
I’m pleased that through the Smarter Choices Smarter Places COP26 Legacy Fund, organisations will now be able to further position active travel at the forefront of local climate action.
At the same time, nationally, we need to keep supporting people to wheel and cycle. We’ve already funded over 31,000 repairs through the Scotland Cycle Repair Scheme and the latest funding for 2021 will help even more people keep the wheels in motion.
Through the historic Bute House Agreement, the Scottish Government has now committed to increase the budget for active travel to at least £320 million or 10% of the total transport budget by 2024-25. Only with this record level of investment can we change lives, and help reshape our towns and cities into more pleasant spaces, which can help us adapt to our changing climate by making sustainable travel choices easier for all.
Graham McQueen, Smarter Choices, Smarter Places Manager at Paths for All said:
We are delighted that this fund will support inspiring projects aiming to link sustainable transport with the wider environmental agenda.
It’s only through taking a creative, holistic approach that we will be able to deal with the challenges we face around climate change and innovative approaches such as those we hope to support through the Legacy Fund can hopefully be rolled out further in the future.
You can read more and find out how to apply for funding by visiting our Smarter Choices Smarter Places COP26 Legacy Fund web page.