Lancashire County Council has been awarded £1.1m in funding from Active Travel, England's Capability and Ambition Fund (CAF) to boost cycling and walking in the county.

The council has been allocated the full amount of active travel revenue funding from the Department for Transport, plus an additional 25 per cent due to the quality of their bid.

The funding will be used to develop Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) and the development of related cycle schemes. It will also be used for behaviour change activities to encourage cycling and walking.

The council is currently developing proposals for seven LCWIPs covering all areas of the county, which will join up the gaps in our existing network of footpaths and cycle routes and provide safe, direct and convenient routes.

Cllr Scott Smith, lead member for Active Travel at Lancashire County Council said: "We are really pleased to have been successful in this funding bid which will greatly help us in delivering the LCWIPs, and our planning team are currently busy preparing these for public comment in the summer.

"The additional funding is a welcome bonus and testament to the team who have worked hard to put together such a strong bid.

“We have ambitious targets to increase the number of people regularly cycling and walking across the county and make active travel part of everyone's everyday lives.

"Active Travel offers physical and mental health benefits, reduces traffic congestion as well as helping the environment with better air quality for everyone."

“At the moment nationally, over 60 per cent of all journeys of between one and two miles are made by car. But with the right infrastructure in place, we want to make it easier our residents to make more short journeys on foot or by bike.

“The funding will also be used for a behaviour change and promotion program to help more people choose active travel for short journeys, which will mean we get the greatest possible impact from any investment in new or improved infrastructure.”