EAST LOTHIAN TO BENEFIT FROM £27 MILLION ACTIVE TRAVEL FUND

SNP MSP Colin Beattie has welcomed news that East Lothian will be one of the first communities to benefit from a £27 million fund to improve cycling and walking routes.
 
Places for Everyone is funding the design of key walking and cycling routes which identified in the East Lothian Active Travel Improvement Plan and other reports, more specifically those routes in and around the Musselburgh area that link to works happening in Edinburgh City and Midlothian. The project will initially focus on three routes that will help everybody to actively travel through and around Musselburgh, making shopping, getting to work or school and other everyday journeys easier, safer and quicker.
 
The funding was announced by the First Minister on Tuesday at SNP conference as part of the Scottish Government’s ambitions to tackle climate change by reducing carbon emissions from transport.
 
The £27 million fund will support more than 200 projects across the country.
 
Commenting, SNP MSP Colin Beattie said:
 
“Scotland has world leading climate targets and reducing carbon emissions from transport is at the heart of meeting that challenge.
 
“That means improving public transport – with the Scottish Government recently announcing £500 million investment in bus priority infrastructure – as well as encouraging the rollout of greener technology, such as electric cars.
 
“Walking and cycling also have a huge role to play – not just in reducing our carbon footprint, but in improving our health.
 
“It is hugely welcome that East Lothian will be among the first areas to benefit from new funding to improve active travel.
 
“That is acting locally as we lead globally in making our contribution to tackling the climate emergency.”