ALL of the £30 million fund for pop-up bike lanes and projects to create space for walking and cycling has been allocated, the Scottish Government has announced.
The Spaces for People fund has closed for applications after awarding £29,603,681 to 31 local authorities.
Money is being used for infrastructure encouraging active travel and to allow more physical distancing for pedestrians.
The Scottish Government said it is still considering bids amounting to a further £8,647,487, and may divert money from active travel budgets to fund the schemes.
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Funding, which is being allocated by walking and cycling charity Sustrans Scotland, will cover up to 100% of the cost of installing temporary measures such as cycle lanes and wider pavements.
Examples of the funding use include the pedestrianisation of Union Street in Aberdeen and cycle lanes and one-way traffic routes around Glasgow Central Station.
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson (below) said he was "encouraged" by the demand for the funding, adding: "From the outset, this programme was all about pace, urgency and protecting public health - creating space to enable people to walk, cycle and wheel whilst physically distancing.
"At the same time, however, it has provided an opportunity to re-imagine and indeed experience our towns and cities as places not dominated by cars but by people.
"The steps local authorities have taken in our towns and cities have been ambitious and widely welcomed - and I'm confident will re-energise demand for permanent active travel infrastructure as we think collectively about Scotland's green recovery.
"Walking, wheeling and cycling protects our climate, improves our air quality and brings profound benefits to our physical and mental health. In terms of our Covid-19 response, active travel is a critical component in helping to manage demand on our public transport network."
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The head of Sustrans Scotland, John Lauder, called for any future funding to go towards permanent rather than the current temporary measures and said: "Giving people safe space in which to physically distance while they get about their day by walking, wheeling and cycling is vitally important as we look to normalise the increasing rate of people travelling actively.
"The fast pace of delivery and the quick uptake by local authorities and other statutory bodies in utilising the Spaces for People funding is testament to the appetite in Scotland to make walking, wheeling and cycling as safe as possible."
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