Cornwall Council has been awarded £2.877m by the Department for Transport (DfT) following two successful Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) bids. The funding will be used to help people access employment and education through sustainable transport in mid Cornwall between Truro, Newquay, Bodmin and St Austell.

The Central and East Cornwall Sustainable Transport Network (CECSTN) received £2.299m and will see improvements to bus services through the introduction of a quality bus network. The network will deliver increased frequency, improved waiting facilities with the delivery of new high quality, accessible shelters at bus stops, better cycle parking, and customer-focussed, reliable information through real time information available on street and via mobile phones.

Wheels to Work (W2W), which provides transport solutions to people without access to public transport and who are looking for work, is a key part of the network. The LSTF funding will allow this service to establish itself in mid and east Cornwall. W2W generally provides people with bicycles, mopeds and electric scooters for a low monthly lease payment and provide assistance with repairs and servicing.

Cornwall has also been successful as a partner in another bid from this funding and will receive a further £578,000 to deliver sustainable travel to school projects in conjunction with Sustrans, which will reduce carbon emissions and congestion. This funding forms part of a £4.99m Access to Education bid by Devon County Council, of which Cornwall Council is a partner authority. Revenue funding will support Sustrans’ school’s officers to deliver the ‘Bike It’ programme which encourages sustainable transport to school. Capital funding will support walking and cycling infrastructure, cycle parking and other small scale improvements.

Graeme Hicks, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for Transportation and Highways, said; “We are delighted to receive the news of the LSTF awards from the Department for Transport. The Council intends to build on its success of delivering transport schemes with partner organisations and operators and continue to develop much improved travel options for the public.”

Cornwall was successful in 2011 as part of a partnership with other south west authorities in an LSTF tranche 1 bid to enable the further roll out of electronic ticket machines on buses that can read smartcards. Three years of funding was awarded allowing the project to equip buses with the smartcard technology, develop the required back office systems for administration and to pilot an electronic purse facility which will allow bus travel to be paid for on a card that has been loaded with cash.