Applications open today (Wednesday 25 February) for a share of £1 million funding for schemes that make it safer and easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle across the York and North Yorkshire region.

David Skaith, the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, launched the fund at Oatlands Junior School in Harrogate, where a range of innovative measures has led to more than 90 per cent of children walking, wheeling or cycling to school.

A collaborative effort by the local community, Oatlands Junior School and Infant School, supported by North Yorkshire Council, has resulted in a School Street that has transformed a congested road into a safer space, and park and stride locations, enabling the launch of a joint school community Bike Bus attended by up to 100 people every fortnight.

Other initiatives include a school bike library at the Infant School, which has seen nearly 50 children learn to ride a bike for the first time, 20mph zone and Dr Bike sessions to keep cycles in top condition.

David Skaith, the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said: 

“Walking, wheeling and cycling should be part of a safer, happier school run. It’s fun, it’s healthy, and it’s precious quality time for children at the start and end of the day.

“That’s why I’m kickstarting a revolution in active travel. Through the Mayor’s Active Travel Fund, I’m putting power into the hands of local people to create safer routes to build healthier, greener, and better connected places for generations to come.

“We’re backing communities with this £1 million investment, supporting practical, local initiatives that make a real difference on our streets and outside our school gates.”

The funding forms part of a wider £4 million programme to double investment in walking, wheeling and cycling across the region. More than £2 million is already available to public bodies, including local councils, with successful applications due to be announced in the next few weeks.

(Picture: York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority)