Wiltshire Council bids for walking and wheeling funding

The council want to improve alternatives to driving

Author: Aaron HarperPublished 26th Mar 2023

Wiltshire Council has made a bid for funding to support the walking and wheeling routes in the county.

The submission has been made to Active Travel England (ATE), who fund alternatives to driving a car, such as walking, wheeling and cycling.

The bid is part of ATE’s Active Travel Fund Tranche 4 (ATF4), the focus of which is on walking and wheeling, rather than cycling.

ATE has indicated at a funding allocation for Wiltshire of more than £800,000, with the bid’s proposed schemes needing to meet a minimum assessment threshold to ensure they promote and encourage walking and wheeling.

The council's applied for funding for a pedestrian crossing on Churchfields Road in Salisbury and for a footbridge as part of the city's River Park scheme.

High quality schemes that are ready for construction have also been encouraged to ask for more than their allocation, which Wiltshire Council has done, in the hope of funding for schemes that are above the standard allocation.

However, these bids will also be subjected to more robust assessments.

Cllr Caroline Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, said:

“We have committed to increasing walking and cycling in our Business Plan, and that’s why we’re applying for this funding.”

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