Hope Valley scheme achieves funding
The project will look to improve sustainable rural travel
The Department for Transport has announced funding of £120,000 for first year of the Travelling Light project.
Hope Valley Climate Action has been working with the Department to develop the proposal to help make walking and cycling the best options for short journeys, increase the take-up of improved public transport, and reduce private vehicle use in the Peak District.
HVCA’s travel and transport co-ordinator, Roger Clarke, said:
“The project aims to improve everyday transport for local people alongside boosting vital access to the outdoors for residents of surrounding urban areas. The Hope Valley is within an hour’s drive of 16 million people, principally in Manchester and Sheffield. However, one-third of residents in Sheffield do not have access to a car and Manchester has amongst the lowest car ownership levels in the country. The Hope Valley currently receives between 3 and 5 million visitors per year, making it one of the most popular rural destinations in the UK. An estimated 90% of these journeys are made by car. This level is unsustainable given that the transport sector remains the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the UK. Excessive car travel also causes congestion, results in antisocial parking, and makes roads unsafe for walkers and cyclists.
"By 2030, the project aims to replace the current congestion, noise and pollution resulting from journeys by private car with safe walking and cycling, accessible for people of all ages and abilities, high quality, seamless public transport and limited use of electric vehicles, many of them shared.”
Minister for Active Travel, Trudy Harrison MP, said:
“We are committed to decarbonising rural travel and this government-funded project will help more people to travel to and around the Hope Valley by public transport, bike or on foot. This is just one part of our £200 million package to transform cycling and walking across the country by implementing hundreds of new schemes to help more people enjoy free, healthy and zero-emission journeys.”