£500,000 cash boost for Slough's green transport

Projects including a cycle hire scheme, walking buses to schools and bike safety and repair workshops can all continue after the borough council was given £500,000 from the government to develop its sustainable transport scheme.

The additional funding will allow the sustainable transport team, ‘Better by’, to continue its aims to improve the health of residents through exercise and reduce the number of cars on the road.

The programme began in 2016 with £1.5million pounds of funding from the Department for Transport’s Access Fund for Sustainable Travel. To secure funding extension into a fourth year, the team had to prove that there have been positive results from the project.

Current parts of the project include the cycle hire scheme for residents, which also has a corporate element for commuters, cycle leader training, working with schools to create walking buses, spending time at school holiday camps with a variety of bicycles, pubic events in bike safety and repair, and bike security marking.

The team have also trained advocates to help residents with disabilities to use public transport.

Misha Byrne, senior transport planner, said: “This cash injection gives the sustainable transport team the security to carry on with vital projects in the borough which we know will make all residents lives better.”