Engage Update - 13 February

Sustrans - Support available to encourage Walking, Wheeling and Cycling in Scotland

General Information

Transport Scotland allocates money to partner organisations who are responsible for delivering walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure and behaviour change projects across Scotland. Collectively these are the ‘Active Travel Delivery Partners’.

Projects we work on often focus on other core objectives such as climate change, reducing isolation, supporting people with physical or mental health concerns or disabilities, making places more attractive to live in and easier to walk, wheel or cycle around, and much more.

Please see some information below on current projects and support available to community groups, organisations and individuals across the country.

This is only a small part of the support available from each organisation, and the work each organisation does. For further information on any of the support on offer, or to discuss your needs or the needs of the community you work with, please contact the most relevant organisation directly.

Information on active travel (walking, wheeling and cycling for everyday journeys)

www.SustainableTravel.scot - managed by Paths for All this website contains information on a wide range of funding and support available for making every day journeys more actively.  

National Updates and Projects:

Cycling Scotland – Scotland’s National Cycling Organisation

Funding: The Cycling Friendly Community fund is now closed for applications. Constituted community groups who are interested in taking a lead role in increasing number of people who cycle can register their interest for the next funding round here: https://www.tfaforms.com/4816763

High Five: A big congratulations to the 51 community groups who successfully achieved the Cycling Friendly Community award in 2022, including Radio City Association, Just Bee Productions, Common Wheel and others. Join the scheme and register today to benefit from a bespoke support to achieve a nationally recognised certification - https://www.cyclingfriendly.scot/. Contact: Cycling Friendly team - cyclingfriendly@cycling.scot

Cycling UK in Scotland:

Funding: A small amount of SHIFT funding remains available. Please contact the Local Development Officer if you want to apply. Support: Scotland Cycle Repair Scheme Funding remains available - please see https://www.cyclinguk.org/ScotCycleRepair for more details and how to apply.

Contact: Shift@cyclinguk.org

Energy Saving Trust - Working to Address the Climate Emergency:

• Combined the total funds requested after the last application deadline to the eBike grant fund was £1,123,137.13. Only £456,701.46 of budget remains, making the eBike Grant Fund oversubscribed by £666,435.67.
• High Five: The final deadline has seen the highest submissions since the fund launched in 2018.
• High Five: We are on track to have more ecargo bikes and adaptive cycles included in funded applications than in previous years.

Contact: ebikegrantsscot@est.org.uk

Living Streets - The UK Charity for Everyday Walking:

Support: For people to take action for better, more inclusive, more walkable streets, and spaces that meet everyone's needs through the Out & About project, 20 minute neighbourhood project. Support: to set up local action groups. Contact scotland@livingstreets.org.uk

Paths for All - The National Walking Charity:

Funding: Deadline Alert! The Smarter Choices, Smarter Places Open Fund deadline is approaching. All funding decisions must be made by 31 March so if you have a project idea that will get people out of their cars and walking, wheeling, cycling or travelling sustainably. Visit https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/open-fund or contact scsp@pathsforall.org.uk  to find out more.

Sustrans - Making it Easier to Walk, Wheel and Cycle for Everyone:

• Funding: ArtRoots is a grant for communities on traffic free sections of the National Cycle Network to improve their neighbourhood through art. Grants up to £5000 are available to any eligible community organisation with no requirement for match funding. More information can be found here, explore the ArtRoots map here, or contact Artroots@sustrans.org.uk
• Training: Mentor Training opportunity: 01^st March 4pm-5.30pm and 22^nd March 4pm-5.30pm with a short online course in between. Only 20 places available. Suitable for anyone providing individual or group support to encourage people to walk wheel or cycle. Open to anyone delivering active travel related activities in a community setting.
• Support: Are you involved in, or planning, a project with your community that directly, or indirectly encourages people to walk, wheel or cycle? Interested in sharing your learning and developing a new skill? Join our Activate Mentoring programme.
• Support: If you work in an area of deprivation, or with a community that experiences inequality you may be eligible for our Community Active Travel Support Service.
• Support: The Love Your Network grant supports community groups in maintaining and enhancing their local, traffic-free section of the National Cycle Network by providing equipment and training. Find out more.
• Support: New limited term grant – Love your Neighbourhood. Free equipment and training for communities who want to enhance or improve their local area for walking, wheeling and cycling. Until March 2023 Sustrans are offering community groups working in areas of deprivation, or with marginalised communities support to carry out activity to encourage walking, wheeling or cycling by providing equipment and training to people in their community. E.g. Bird ID/Foraging walks, litter picking or roadside repair equipment, cycle training and more. Contact the communities team email for more information.
• Support: Free equipment for groups of kids/families walking/cycling/wheeling to school. Until 25 March 2023, Sustrans are giving free equipment worth up to £500 for walk/bike buses (a group of families or children walking, wheeling or cycling together to or from school), and for classes of children walking or cycling to school trip destinations. Equipment can include, hi-vis vests or backpack covers, bike lights, helmets and more. Email schoolsscotland@sustrans.org.uk to find out more.
• Workshops: We are offering free interactive workshops discussing key issues faced by communities, and look at some of the ways active travel could help. Find more information, availability and sign up on Eventbrite

Contact: Sustrans Communities Team - Communities.Team@sustrans.org.uk

And remember our feedback request:

If you could take 5 minutes to complete our quick survey it would be much appreciated! The survey will close for responses at 1pm on the 28 February.

Survey Link

Renfrewshire

Living Streets – Ferguslie Park has Intergenerational walk planned as part of primary school programme, members of the community are invited to join us so different individuals can share and learn the barriers to walking. Contact Alex.Fox@livingstreets.org.uk for more information.

Support for Indivduals

Case Study – ‘Shopmobility Paisley and District supported with new mobility equipment for their members’

Works at Erskine recycling centre -15 & 16 Feb

Barhill Road, Erskine

To facilitate planned upgrades to the recycling infrastructure, the power will have to be switched off to the site on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 February meaning it will be closed on both days and residents should use one of our other sites on both days.

For awareness, additional works will be taking place on Monday 13 February, but there is no requirement for closure.

Please pass this information on to your constituents and advise them to email ei@renfrewshire.gov.uk if they have any questions.

#You Decide

The successful projects for our #YouDecide campaign have been announced and are provided for you in a list below.

£1.2million was made available, split across 16 local areas, and as many projects as possible have been funded until all the money has been allocated.

Where plans were already in place for an idea, some projects have been taken on by council services outside of the campaign or council funding has topped up the project to ensure as many local ideas as possible could be brought to life.

The #YouDecide campaign has focused on empowering local people to tell us what needed upgraded in their local area and we wanted to do everything we could to engage with our communities.

We carried out roadshows in every town and village, placed post boxes at key community sites like libraries and supermarkets for people to hand in their ideas, spoke to Local Partnerships and Community Councils, liaised with and visited community groups, created a promotional video for social media, advertised the campaign in the local media, and dedicated a section of the website to its promotion.

We know how we could expand this further and make it even more accessible should #YouDecide take place again in the future.

We received more than 2,800 ideas from across Renfrewshire which we turned into a shortlist of viable projects.

More than 4,800 votes were then cast by the local community to choose which ones would be successful in their area and work will now begin to procure the works.

#YouDecide successful projects

Bishopton

• Engage with the local community to carry out improvements to the appearance of roundabouts in the Village
• Install a tarmac path and seating along one side of the grass area on Ferry Road in front of West Porton Farm
• Install outdoor exercise equipment at Churchill Drive Park

Brookfield and Bridge of Weir

• Install a wheeled sports area in Moss Road Park, including skateboarding, scooters and skates, for children and young people to enjoy
• Install speed activated signs at the entrance to Brookfield

Elderslie

• Light up the Wallace Monument to make it more of a feature
• Install outdoor exercise equipment at Old Road Park
• Install speed activated sign on Main Road
• Install seating at Main Road near the NCR75 cycle path entry/exit
• Upgrade the path that runs alongside the river from Abbey Road to Wallace Avenue to tarmac
• Upgrade the tarmac surface at Queens Road Park

Erskine

• Create ramps either side of existing steps at Holms Crescent to aid pedestrians with mobility issues, prams and bikes
• Upgrade the Clyde Walkway path from Newshot Drive around to the river and create additional seating at the waterfront
• Install lighting on link path between Millfield View and Linburn Road

Houston

• Install a pedestrian crossing near the bus stop on Magnus Road/Piper Road
• Repair steps and ensure accessible access to Helicopter Park (South Mound) for people with mobility issues, prams and bicycles

Howwood

• Install lighting in Howwood Park connecting Beith Road and Midtown Road
• Improve the playing surface at the Howwood Park playing field
• Tarmac the perimeter path around Howwood Park

Inchinnan

• Add two additional lighting columns to existing lighting in Inchinnan Park to provide lighting around the play area
• Install a lighting column on the path between Braemar Road and Old Greenock Road bus stop
• Install a gate from Inchinnan playing fields car park to allow direct access to the park and upgrade the path as required
• Resurface the footpath Broompark Drive that leads to Inchinnan Primary
• Design and install interpretation boards at points of interest in Inchinnan following engagement with the local community
• Install seating on the walking and cycle route at the A8 Greenock Road

Johnstone

• Additional lighting in the park on the Ellerslie Street area next to the play park
• Install additional lighting in Spateston Park link path from Sheldrake Place to Spateston Road
• Install kickabout football goals in Spateston Park
• Install outdoor exercise equipment at Thomas Shanks Park
• Install new lighting columns from Miller Street to Ritchie Park

Kilbarchan

• Install additional lighting in Kilbarchan Park from Well Road to Park View
• Create an activity trail around the village with information and interpretation boards
• Engage with the local community to improve the appearance of the roundabout at the entrance to the village (Easwald Bank)

Langbank

• Contribution towards items of play equipment in Station Park
• Upgrade the path through Langbank playing fields from Station Road to the train station

Linwood

• Install a wheeled sports area in Kintyre Park, including skateboarding, scooters and skates, for children and young people to enjoy
• Install lighting in Kintyre Park

Lochwinnoch

• Install lighting in Lochwinnoch Park around the surrounding path network
• Lighting improvements from the car park at Lochwinnoch Park (Lochlip Road) towards the train station

Paisley East

• Create an enclosed dog exercise area in East End Park
• Install lighting in Barshaw Park from Arkleston Road entrance to car park
• Contribution towards replacing all play equipment in Jennyswell play park

Paisley Gleniffer

• Improve the paths within Gleniffer Braes Country Park
• Improvements to Gleniffer Braes Car Park (off Glenfield Road) and improve the signage

Paisley North, West and Central

• Access improvements to Glencoats Park to aid users with mobility issues, prams and bikes
• Install additional play equipment in South Candren Village Green play area
• Install additional street lighting at the entrance to Ferguslie Gardens opposite West Lane

Renfrew

• Improve the appearance of roundabouts and add additional signage at the two main entrances to the town - Glasgow Road and Paisley Road
• Install additional seating in Renfrew Town Centre
• Contribution towards improvements to the play area at Glebe Street

If you have any questions, you can contact the team via youdecide@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

For more information on the campaign, you can visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/youdecide.