Council receives cash boost for cycle routes

ARGYLL and Bute Council has been awarded more than £450,000 by Sustrans Scotland to improve the area’s walking and cycling active travel infrastructure.

Funding of £396,000 from the national charity’s community links programme, provided by Transport Scotland, will see the council construct new walking paths as well as carry out the design and feasibility work for paths identified by local communities, including the first phase of a walking and cycling shared-use path at Rosneath and progressing the Helensburgh and Lomond Cycleway.

Sustrans has also awarded the council an additional £75,000 from its safer routes to school programme to create and develop safe active travel facilities and deliver training which will allow pupils and staff to walk and cycle to school.

The council will begin work to design safe routes and crossings for pupils, and the local community in Oban and Taynuilt, and build a cycling and walking link from Tralee Road to Lochnell Primary School in Benderloch.

Aileen Morton, Argyll and Bute Council leader, said: ‘As a council, we are committed to doing what we can to encourage our communities to live active and healthy lives.

‘This welcome funding from Sustrans means we can undertake projects which will contribute to achieving a smarter, safer, healthier and greener Argyll and Bute.’

Sustrans Scotland community links manager Tom Bishop said: ‘We hope this funding will encourage more people living in Argyll and Bute to walk and cycle for more of the journeys they make every day.’