SEStran welcomes green travel funding boost
Date : 15th April 2010
SEStran welcomes the Scottish governments’ commitment of £10 million pounds of new money, to be spent on sustainable transportation.
Cabinet Secretary, John Swinney, made the announcement during a debate on the government’s economic recovery plan at Holyrood.
The funding will be spent on :- A green bus fund to encourage the construction of low-emission vehicles,
- Development of an electric vehicle infrastructure
- Support for the development of further cycling infrastructure, to encourage greater active travel
SEStran Chair, Cllr Russell Imrie said:
“Any new money for green transportation is a welcome boost. SEStran exists to create a sustainable transportation system for South East Scotland. The region’s economic future depends upon it. Our Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) is a practical template explaining how we intend to achieve this goal by 2023”.
“SEStran’s RTS includes a stated commitment towards reducing the number of single occupancy commuter car journeys in and out of Edinburgh by 10% by 2023. Our aim is to make sustainable options including; bus, rail and car sharing, together with cycling and walking the modes of choice for most journeys throughout the region”.
“We hope that the Cabinet Secretary will ensure that Scotland’s Regional Transport Partnerships, which exist solely to build a sustainable transportation infrastructure, remain at the heart of the development of green travel in Scotland.”
ENDS
SEStran - South East of Scotland Transport Partnership - is one of seven new Statutory Regional Transport Partnerships (RTP) created by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 and is a partnership of eight local councils covering the Borders, Clackmannanshire, East Lothian Midlothian and West Lothian, Edinburgh, Falkirk and Fife.
For further information, please contact:
Andrew Dougal, SEStran
Communications Officer
T: 0131-524-5161
M: 07889-010-291
E: Andrew.dougal@sestran.gov.uk
