Fife Council has been awarded £2.4 Million of Scottish Government funding to put in place temporary infrastructure for walking, cycling and wheeling as lockdown is slowly lifted. The programme called Spaces for People is allowing socially distanced spaces to be created.
Temporary Spaces for People funded programmes are being progressed for: Anstruther, Burntisland, Crail, Cupar, Dunfermline, Elie, Glenrothes, High Valleyfield, Inverkeithing, Kirkcaldy, Leslie, Leven, Lumphinnans, Methil, Oakley, Rosyth, Saline, St Andrews and Windygates.
Promotional campaigns encouraging active and sustainable travel and responsible use of shared paths and roads will also be undertaken on a Fife-wide basis.
Convener of Fife Council’s Economy, Tourism, Strategic Planning and Transportation Committee, Cllr Altany Craik, said: “Economic recovery is at the forefront of the Spaces for People programme and the funding will provide essential measures to protect public health and support physical distancing.
“In Fife, more people are cycling as the number of car journeys have declined over recent months. The changes being introduced will enable Fifers to move around sustainable, freely and safely. We want to help Fifers look after their physical and mental health while still being safe on our streets.
“This funding award was made in consultation with local councillors to ensure that local priorities and needs are recognised.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said: “I’m very encouraged by the demand for Spaces for People funding that we’ve seen right across Scotland and I’m grateful to Sustrans Scotland for their support.
“From the outset, this programme was all about pace, urgency and protecting public health – creating space to enable people to walk, cycle and wheel whilst physically distancing. At the same time, however, it has provided an opportunity to reimagine and indeed experience our towns and cities as places not dominated by cars but by people.