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Cambridgeshire businesses who are members of Travel for Cambridgeshire have been invited to apply for grants to develop their cycling facilities.
With a December 31st deadline, time is running out for applications to claim a slice of the original £1 million pot, which has been set aside to help fund anything from cycle parking, on-site showers and even electric bike fleets.
Stemming from the Department of Transport, the ‘Local Sustainable Transport Fund’ has a goal of cutting congestion, reducing emissions and supporting economic growth.
The grants, covering three strategic growth areas (the St Neots to Cambridge and Royston to Cambridge corridors, as well as Wisbech Town), will also provide an opportunity to deliver additional wider social, environmental, health and safety benefits for local communities.
Kate Day, TfC Project Manager, stated: “Ultimately we are trying to achieve a change in commuting behaviour by employees. However, we recognise that this is not a straight forward option for many people, so the grants are there to try and increase travel choices. By changing to a car free or car sharing journey for one day a week, we can all make a huge change to the congestion issues, saving money, as well as improving our health and that of the environment.”
The ‘Workplace Sustainable Travel Grant’ is available to improve the travel infrastructure at workplaces. This is worth up to 75% of the costs to a maximum of £3,000 per company and can be spent on initiatives such as car park management, lockers, showers, pool bicycles and cycle parking. Up to two applications are permitted per business.
Then, there is the ‘Workplace Sustainable Travel Event Grant,’ giving up to a maximum of £500 per business for running and promoting sustainable travel events at the workplace for employees (including those from several companies in the case of area-wide events), such as Bike Week, Liftshare Week, or the launch of a pool bike scheme or travel plan.
It is vital for companies who wish to claim these grants to move quickly, as they are proving very popular with Cambridgeshire’s businesses.
“So far, there have been 11 applications for events and promotions, as well as nine applications and expressions of interest for infrastructure grants,” said Ms Day.
For employers to be eligible, they need to be members of TfC and must be located within the Cambridgeshire LSTF 2015-2016 area, details of which can be found on the TfC website.
To join the scheme and to make the most of their grants, email info@tfw.org.uk, or phone 01223 715550 to find out how to submit an application before the 31st December.
