New funding boost for South Downs bus and rail
July 15, 2014
Hampshire County Council and six partner authorities, including the South Downs NPA, have been successful in securing just over £2million from the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) for projects which encourage and promote use of sustainable travel in the New Forest and South Downs National Parks.
The funding, which is an extension of the existing Two National Parks LSTF programme, aims to reduce the number of car trips in both national parks by inspiring visitors to travel to and around the area using an exciting range of sustainable transport options.
Trevor Beattie, Chief Executive of the South Downs National Park Authority said:
“We want to improve the experiences and expectations of people using public and sustainable transport in and around the South Downs National Park.
“Over the past year this has included launching a new hop-on-hop off Discovery bus ticket, training bus drivers to help visitors find their way round and supporting Community Rail Partnerships to encourage people to take more ownership of their railway stations. This extra year of funding will allow us and our partners to build on these successes.”
The additional funding for 2015/16 will deliver a series of innovative new initiatives such as the ‘Share the Road’ and ‘Take the Train’ campaigns, integrated ticketing and WiFi on rural bus services, while ensuring the commercial sustainability of already highly popular travel attractions like the Beach Bus in the New Forest and the Breeze up to the Downs buses in the South Downs.
Councillor Seán Woodward, Executive Member for Economy, Transport and Environment at Hampshire County Council, said:
“This extra funding to encourage more visitors to travel to Hampshire’s unique national parks and leave their cars at home is very welcome. It will mean that visitors from within Hampshire and beyond will have access to good public transport information and options to help them plan their days out to the parks, promoting the local economy while helping to reduce congestion at busy holiday and weekend times.”
The LSTF revenue funding will complement additional capital investment by the Local Enterprise Partnerships and the Cycle Ambition programme.
Read the full release from the Department for Transport www.gov.uk/government/news/ministers-visit-communities-sharing-in-huge-transport-investment
The six partner authorities are: East Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council, West Sussex County Council, Wiltshire Council, the New Forest National Park Authority and the South Downs National Park Authority.